Peanut
by wearethesultans
Summary: A story about Charlie and Briggs' baby and how Peanut brings the house together. Features Charlie/Briggs and PIKE. This is the result of the depression that the season finale gave me. Rated T because I'm paranoid
1. 9 Weeks

**Hello reader! I have no idea where this story might go, all I know is that I needed some happy family times after the Graceland season finale. Mike is still alive, but he's in a coma. I reject that fact that he might be dead so hard. Anyway, this story focuses on the development of Peanut, Briggs/Charlie, and PIKE! I do not own Graceland here nor there, I do not own it anywhere. **

9 weeks:

"Catherine Demarco, put that hot dog down," Briggs' authoritative voice rang out. Charlie froze, the hot dog almost touching her lips. A look of confusion crossed her features.

"What the hell?" she snapped. "I'm hungry. I have to eat for two now."

"Well, you can't have hot dogs," Briggs replied matter-of-factly, snatching the hot dog from her hands despite her protests.

"That's bullshit, what are you talking about?"

"I read in one of my books that pregnant women can't eat hot dogs. I'll take you out and get you whatever you want, but no more hot dogs. Doesn't a healthy salad sound nice?" Briggs tried, taking a bite of the confiscated hot dog.

"I've never heard that before. I'm starving, which means Peanut is starving, so give me my damn hot dog back," Charlie growled defensively. Briggs held the hot dog above her head.

"No. Hot dogs."

"I've been up early throwing up every single day this week. I've had a splitting headache thanks to your kid. I feel fat. Everything hurts. You did this to me, Paul Briggs, and I can have a goddamn hot dog if I want one."

"Google it if you don't believe me. Hot dogs can contain bacteria that is bad for the baby," he sighed, throwing it away. Groaning, Charlie pulled out her phone. Ten seconds later, she slammed her phone on the table.

"Fine. I don't want a salad, though. I want a cheeseburger. And you're buying," Charlie said.

"Anything for you." As Charlie walked to the car, Briggs stared at her stomach. She wore a black tank top that showed off her small bump. You couldn't tell she was pregnant unless you already knew, but it was reassuring to Briggs to see the small sign of life. With a grin, he followed her to the car.

_If someone had told me a year ago that I would fall in love with Charlie and get her pregnant, I would've laughed in their face, _Briggs thought. _Funny how things change._

20 minutes later, they sat at a little burger joint. Charlie attacked her burger while shooting glares at Briggs. She was still sore about her disposed hot dog.

"Did you know our kid is the size of a cherry right now?" Briggs said absentmindedly.

"Hmm," Charlie hummed, taking another bite.

"He or she is developing eyelids and it can move its elbows," Briggs sprouted off random facts. Charlie slowed her chewing and looked him in the eyes. Briggs panicked when he noticed tears forming. "Are you okay, my love?"

Charlie furiously swiped at her eyes.

"It's the hormones. You care a lot about this kid, don't you? You sound like a pregnancy book."

"I've just done a lot of reading. I want to know everything that is going on," Briggs shrugged. Charlie fell silent for a few moments. After everything that has happened, what with Mike being in a coma, her being kidnapped and almost losing peanut, and Sid, Charlie felt the weight of it hitting her shoulders.

"I love you," Charlie sniffled. Her moods have been insane. One minute she wants to bite someone's head off, and the next she's a ball of fluff.

"You know that I love you, too. I'll always be there for you," Briggs said gently, rubbing his hands over Charlie's smaller ones.

"You're going soft, Briggs," Charlie tried to joke, but her voice cracked. Briggs wiped the corner of her eye with the pad of his thumb before pressing a light kiss there.

"That's your fault," Briggs said seriously. "You made me different, but better."

"No more lies?" Charlie asked.

"No more lies," Briggs echoed. "I swear to you."

"I was so worried when Amber kidnapped me that I wasn't going to have this kid. I thought I was done for. When I heard you call out for me... I can't remember ever feeling so relieved," Charlie said, unable to look Briggs in the eyes.

"I'll always find you, Chuck. When I got the call from Mike, I thought that I had already lost you. Both of you. I'm so sorry I've put you through so much," Briggs replied lovingly. He didn't care if he was going soft. He'd rip anyone's head whoever tried to lay a finger or Charlie or the baby.

"I forgive you for everything, Paul. Through all of that, it made me realize that I need you with me. Life is too short to have regrets. I know that it sounds cliché, and you know how I hate clichés, but it's true. I would regret every day that I don't get to see you help me raise this child."

"I won't ever give you a reason to doubt me again," Briggs said. And he meant it.

**That was the first chapter. Kind of rough… really rough. Just trying to define the relationship between Briggs and Charlie. It'll feature more Pike in the next chapter. Also, look forward for lots of happy Graceland family moments. **


	2. 12 weeks

12 weeks

"Dude, I'm telling you, I think I could take James Bond in a fight," Johnny argued, slamming the front door.

"And dude, I'm telling you, there isn't even a question there. James Bond would hand your ass to you before the fight even started," Jakes insisted, disbelieving that his friend really thought he could best James Bond.

"Nope. Old Bond has never had a taste of Johnny Tuturro- shhhhhh! Do you hear that?" Johnny whispered, pointing to the kitchen.

"No, but I sure as hell smell something amazing. Is Charlie making something?" Jakes wondered, taking a step forward. Johnny clutched onto the back of his shirt.

"I think I hear Briggs singing something," Johnny mouthed. Jakes stilled. Surely he misunderstood what Johnny just said. Training his ear on the kitchen, Jakes' had to admit he did hear something that resembled Briggs singing.

"I know you two shits are listening. I don't care!" Briggs shouted, causing Jakes to jump a little bit.

"What were you singing, dad?" Johnny asked, entering the kitchen. He had taken to calling Briggs 'dad' ever since he found out that Charlie was pregnant.

"Just an old Aerosmith song," Briggs shrugged, pouring sugar into his creation. It appeared as though he was making pink colored cookies.

"Whatcha making there?" Jakes asked, sniffing the pink batter.

"It's for Charlie. She hasn't been sleeping well so she's upstairs resting. She kindly informed me that if she doesn't have a batch of brightly pink colored sugar cookies ready and waiting for her when she wakes up, she'll kill me and raise the kid alone. I don't want to find out if she was being serious or not. By the crazed look in her eyes, I'd say she's pretty serious," Briggs explained, mixing more pink food coloring into the batter.

"She understands that the color doesn't make a difference, right?"

"You wanna tell her that?"

"Point taken."

"The cravings have started, then?" Jakes asked.

"I guess. It hasn't been anything out of the ordinary like pickles in peanut butter, but Chuck's been having a major sweet tooth attack. In the middle of the night last night, she made me go to the grocery store and get Cherry Garcia ice cream."

"She has you wrapped around her finger. Between her and this kid, they're going to be the death of you," Jakes commented.

"That wouldn't be such a bad death," Briggs laughed.

"Dude, you're so whipped. I'm going to go surfing. Catch you two laters," Johnny said, leaping off of his stool.

When Jakes and Briggs were alone, Jakes turned to him, "I think you're going to be a great dad."

"Thanks, DJ." Briggs was slightly taken aback by the compliment from Jakes.

"I mean it. I hope you have a great life with your kid. With the diapers, the pillow pets, the trips to Disneyworld, the endless mac n' cheese, kissing booboos and whatnot. It'll be good for you," Jakes said, his voice breaking slightly off at the end. Briggs would have laughed the second the word 'booboo' left Jakes' mouth, but it wasn't the time or the place.

"Hey. You can help. You'll be Peanut's number one uncle," Briggs said thickly, trying not to show how touched he was by Jakes' words.

"I wish I could've known my son. Don't make the mistakes that I did." Jakes gave Briggs a quick hug, trying to make it manly as possible. Charlie chose that moment to walk downstairs.

"I never thought I'd have to compete with Jakes for my boyfriend," Charlie teased, nudging Jakes in a joking manner.

"I never thought that I would see Briggs making pink cookies either, but I stand corrected," Jakes retorted. He stuck his hand in the batter to get a taste. "Blecck! Too sweet!"

"I need my sugar!" Charlie snapped defensively. "Peanut wants what peanut wants. I can't control it. Has Paige gotten back yet?"

"No, I don't think so. She normally goes for two hours, so she could be getting back any minute. I doubt anything has changed in Mike's condition," Jakes responded. Charlie's eyes looked downcast.

"Hey, don't worry," Briggs noticed her reaction. "He'll be better soon. Mikey's gonna be excited to see Peanut's development when he wakes up."

"Yeah, I guess he will." Charlie looked slightly more hopeful. Briggs stuck the batter in the oven. "Wait a minute! I thought I told you I wanted the cookies to be ready when I woke up!" Charlie picked up a wooden spoon and attempted to whack Briggs in the head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! There's a batch cooling on the table! These are extra cookies, just in case!" Briggs yelped, dodging the flying spoon.

"You're the best," she grinned, kissing him on the mouth. Hard.

"Okay, I'm gonna go now," Jakes said, clearing his throat.

"Sorry. It's just these hormones-"

"Nope. Don't want to hear it. I'm going to see if I can find Johnny," Jakes interrupted, practically sprinting out of the house. He sent a warning text to Paige.

The cookies lay untouched for quite some time.

**Btw, the Aerosmith song that Briggs was singing was 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing.' Steven Tyler wrote it for his daughter, so I like to imagine Briggs humming songs like that a lot. Writing this story is like therapy. I seriously suggest it to anyone who was personally victimized by the season two finale.**


	3. 14 weeks

14 Weeks

"I really miss sushi. And beer. You idiots are being highly inconsiderate," Charlie grumbled. Briggs and Jakes had just gotten back from work, and Johnny was in charge of dinner. Knowing nothing about the restrictions of Charlie's pregnancy, he chose to pick up sushi and beer.

"I told you to read the book, man. Not cool," Briggs tsked, taking a sip of beer. Charlie grabbed the bottle from him and dumped it by the fire. "Charlie! Why'd you do that?"

"You impregnated me. The least you can do is not drink in front of me," she snapped. Briggs did not argue. Johnny grinned, foolishly thinking he was off the hook for not reading the pregnancy book that Briggs assigned him.

"I didn't forget Johnny," Briggs said, reading Johnny's mind.

"Dammit! I'm sorry, man. I just don't see why I have to read it."

"Did anyone read it?"

"I read it!" Paige piped up.

"Thank you."

"Good thing we still had those left over tacos," Johnny added, trying to be helpful. "How're they holding up, Charlie?"

"They're okay. It's just- ugh!" Charlie exclaimed suddenly, hopping off of Briggs' lap and making a mad dash for the ocean.

"Charlie!" Briggs called out, chasing after her. The members of Graceland could faintly hear her getting sick.

"You're fault for getting sushi," Jakes mumbled, taking a bite of his spicy crunchy tuna roll.

"I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know?" Johnny cried defensively.

"You could've read the damn book," Paige said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh yeah, little miss perfect? It's not my kid. I don't see why I have to read it," Johnny pouted.

"It takes a village," Jakes replied. "Their love child is also your child. And Paige's child. And my child. We'll all be babysitting and changing diapers this time next year."

"Gross. You can stop right there," Johnny shuddered. Soon, Charlie and Briggs rejoined the group.

"How're you feeling Charlie?" Paige asked, concerned for her friend.

"M'okay. The smell of raw fish is really putting me off."

"You're probably just smelling the ocean," Johnny attempted, but Charlie silenced him with a glare.

"No, it's your damn tuna rolls. I'm going to go inside," Charlie sighed, gathering her shoes together.

"Wait!" Johnny called out. He grabbed everyone's plate and the leftover sushi, and threw it into the ocean. "Will you stay now?"

Charlie felt oddly touched at the silly gesture, "You just littered in the ocean, dumbass. I guess I'll stay, though. But don't forget that sushi is on the off limits list. So is any raw fish, deli meats, hot dogs, alcohol, or caffeine."

"Really? Shit, I picked up stuff to make hot dogs tomorrow… They'll be going in the garbage, correct?" Johnny asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yup!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

After hours of laughing around the dying fire, everyone started to grow tired. Charlie was half-asleep in Briggs' arms.

"Hey, did you know the fetus is standing straight now?" Briggs whispered.

"No. You're a nerd," Charlie laughed softly. "But you're my nerd."

"The baby is the size of a lemon. It's not a peanut anymore."

"I can't believe it's gonna be full baby sized one day," Charlie yawned.

"Here, let's get you inside. You need some sleep," Briggs said, scooping her up bridal style. Charlie was too tired to argue.

He tucked her into bed before climbing in himself. Briggs rested his fingers over her stomach, as he fell asleep with a smile.

**Okay I keep saying that there is going to be PIKE in the next chapter, but FOR REAL this time there is going to be PIKE in the next chapter and I know that because I already wrote it. I will most likely post it later tonight! If anyone has any prompts or ideas for future chapters just shoot me a PM and I'll try to incorporate into future chappies! Review! Thanks loves XOXO**


	4. 16 weeks

16 Weeks:

"Did you know that the baby can hear us talking?" Johnny mentioned casually one day, to the surprise of the members of Graceland.

"Did you actually read the book?" Charlie asked impressed.

"It wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. It was cool learning about what your baby is going through. I think we should read stories and sing songs to baby Peanut."

"Great, I'll whip out my guitar and we can all sing Kumbaya and makes s'mores," Jakes said sarcastically.

"I thought it was a good idea," Charlie defended Johnny.

"Did you guys ever hear Mike sing? He swore he couldn't, but I caught him singing in the shower once. He was singing that old Chris Isaak song 'Wicked Game.' After that, I blackmailed him into singing to me whenever I wanted or I would tell everyone about his amazing voice," Paige reminisced.

"Mikey was a singer? Huh, never would have thought," Briggs chuckled sadly.

A silent hush fell over the house, as it always did when Mike was brought up.

"When Mike wakes up, I'm going to make him sing songs to Peanut," Charlie sniffled. "I think I'm ready to go visit him."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get stressed…" Briggs asked. He placed his arm protectively on her arm.

"I'm ready," Charlie repeated confidently.

"I was gonna go after breakfast, if you want to come with me," Paige offered. Charlie nodded.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Briggs asked softly.

"Nah, it's alright. You have to go to work. I'll be okay," Charlie replied, kissing him quickly. "I'll be ready to leave in ten!"

After a little more than ten minutes of struggling to find clothes that fit, Charlie walked out of her room wearing yoga pants and a stolen shirt from Briggs.

"Maybe when we're done at the hospital, we can go shopping for some maternity clothes," Paige suggested, noticing Charlie's outfit.

"I've been putting that off," Charlie admitted. "I don't know why. I guess buying baby stuff would make this all seem more real."

"You can't wear yoga pants and Briggs' shirts forever," Paige chastised.

"I know, I know. We can go shopping after."

"Just warning you, seeing Mike like this isn't going to be easy. It still startles me and I visit him every day."

Charlie nodded and looked out the window. She was so nervous to see poor Mikey all hooked up to machines.

In person, it was worse than she imagined. When they stepped into Mike's room, Charlie broke down into tears. Paige tried to be strong for Charlie and managed to hold the tears back.

"Charlie, I have to tell you something," Paige said, grabbing onto Charlie for support.

"What is it?"

"It's my fault Mike is here."

"Bullshit. You know it isn't you fault."

"How do you think Sid found out where Mike was?"

Charlie's eyes widened at the realization, "You tipped him off? Why the hell would you do that?"

"I was so angry and confused. I made a mistake. I told Briggs what happened, but it was too late. Sid had already paid a visit to Mike."

"I'm disappointed in you, Paige. You could have handled the situation a million times better! You almost got Mike killed!" Charlie shouted.

"You don't think I don't know that? You don't think I don't cry myself to sleep over this every night? For the first time in forever, I'm beginning to understand a lot of what Briggs is going through."

"Is this because of Lina?" Paige nodded. Charlie sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"What happened, happened. We're here to focus on Mike," Charlie said coldly. Paige wished Charlie would just yell at her. The disappointment was a million times worse.

"Hey, Mike," Paige began. "Nothing has changed since yesterday. Johnny read the pregnancy book. Apparently Charlie's baby can hear us talking. Next week they find out the gender. I went surfing with Johnny and Briggs yesterday. I started reading a new book…" Paige talked to Mike for about ten minutes about random stuff that had gone on at Graceland in the past day.

"Do you do this every day?" Charlie wondered and Paige nodded.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," Paige said, wiping her eyes. "I miss him."

"I miss him, too."

Charlie walked over to the other side of Mike and gently enveloped his hand. Gingerly, she placed it over her stomach.

"You'll be an uncle soon, Mike. You can see my bump now. I think it's going to be a girl. Wake up, Mike. Please. Do that for everyone at Graceland. We can't be a family without our rebellious teenage son. If you don't wake up, I will kill you."

Charlie's words sent Paige into a wave of fresh tears. Charlie looked up at her bawling friend.

"Hey, I forgive you for this. Graceland has been tense and decisions have been made out of fear, betrayal, and anger. It was hard for me to forgive Briggs for everything he did, but I don't want to waste any time holding onto my rage. I think we all need to take a step back and remember the most important thing about Graceland: we're a family. At the end of the day, all we have is each other. We have to hold on to that," Charlie said tearfully. Paige reached over and grabbed Charlie's hand.

"I just want this to be over. The worst part of the whole Lena thing was that I never stopped loving Mike. I couldn't. My worry about the girls and the trafficking eclipsed that love for a while, but I couldn't ignore how I felt for Mike. I see now that he was trying to do what was best for the majority, and I made everything so much harder for him."

"Let's not think about it, okay? It happened and it's over. All we can do now is hope Mike gets better."

The three sat in silence for a few more minutes. Charlie got up to go to the bathroom, leaving Paige alone with Mike.

She cupped his face in her hands. He looked so pallid and fragile.

"When you wake up, I hope you can forgive me, too."

The next day, the members of Graceland were eating lunch when Paige got a phone call from the hospital. Her hands began to shake and her heart raced a million miles a minute.

Fearing the worst, she picked up her cell, "Hello?... Oh my, God!... T-thank you! I'll be right there… I cannot believe this… Thank you so much!"

"What was that about?" Briggs asked.

"It's Mike! He's awake. I'm going to hospital to the drive- I mean drive to the h-hospital. I cannot believe this it's just so-"

"I'm not going to let you drive like this. You'll get into a wreck. I can drive- plus I want to see Mike," Briggs stated with authority.

"Let's go!"

"Wait for me!"

"I'm coming, too!"

"Can we finish lunch first?"

"Johnny!" everyone shouted at him. He put down his slice of pizza.

"Never mind."

They all piled into the SUV, and Briggs took off. He had never driven so fast in his life. Charlie had started crying again, Paige had a dazed look on her face, and Jakes and Johnny were chattering excitedly.

The second Briggs pulled into the parking lot, before he had made a complete stop, four sets of feet leapt out of the SUV. Briggs parked quickly and followed them into the hospital.

"We're here to see Hugh Lambert," Paige said. They changed his name again after Sid found him, and added an undercover security guard to protect him.

"He's in room 246," the lady at the front desk said. Paige sprinted to the second floor, not pausing to think.

For the first time in forever, Paige saw Mike look alive. Granted, he didn't look extremely alive, but he wasn't as still as a statue anymore. Before she could take a step forward, Johnny and Charlie rushed past her. They bombarded him with questions like 'what happened?' 'do you remember anything?' and 'are you in any pain?'

"Guys, let's give Mike some space. He just woke up," Briggs chuckled. Charlie and Johnny looked sheepish. "How do you feel, Mike?"

"I feel okay, considering I've been in a coma. Did Sid get caught?"

"No, but they got him on tape trying to suffocate you. He's been on the run," Briggs explained.

"He knows about Graceland," Mike warned. "He said he's going to kill all of you."

"What?" Charlie gasped.

"We'll have to install security measures. I think we should fake my funeral and pretend I'm dead. We-"

"Mike, you just woke up, dude. We can figure this stuff out later," Jakes interrupted. "Are you hungry? You haven't had real food in a long time."

"Ten weeks," Mike said. "That's how long the doctor told me I was out for."

"You missed a lot, Mike," Charlie said sorrowfully.

"You guys didn't miss me. I think you needed a break from me," Mike joked. Paige stood in the corner in total silence.

"Look Mike- I have a bump now!" Charlie exclaimed proudly, standing up to show off her stomach. Mike grinned.

"That's amazing. Congrats Briggs and Charlie. I was worried about you after the kidnapping," Mike replied.

"It was hard for the first couple weeks- hell, it still is hard- but, I'm getting better," Charlie admitted.

"When do you get to come home?" Johnny asked, changing the subject.

"The doctors wanted to run some tests for the next couple days, but hopefully soon."

After an hour of catching Mike up with the recent happenings of Graceland, Briggs said they should give Mike some rest. Paige hung back for a second.

"Mike," she said when they were alone. "Did Sid tell you?"

"Yes." Mike didn't need to ask what Paige was referring to.

"This is a nice room. If I were a hospital patient, I'd want this room."

"Paige," Mike said in a firm voice. Paige didn't look him in the eyes. Instead, she kept talking.

"It has kind of nice view. I'm not saying it compares to a five star hotel, but…"

"Stop."

Paige slowly turned around to look Mike in his blue eyes that hadn't seen the world for a long time.

"Why?"

Perhaps it was the innocence in his tone, or the kicked puppy look in his eyes, but Paige couldn't control her sobs. They wracked her body and left her unable to speak. Eventually, she settled down enough to get some words out.

"I was so angry about Lena, I thought you deserved t-to pay. I wasn't thinking clearly. I convinced myself that Sid wouldn't kill you. I thought that he would just hurt you, but I was so wrong. I'm so, so sorry Mike. I put you back in the fox trap," Paige shuddered.

"Sid told me that you betrayed me right before my heart stopped. That would've been the last thing I ever heard," Mike said coldly.

Paige looked away.

"I forgive you," he added. Paige snapped her head back in confusion. "I shouldn't have lied to you. I know I deserved your anger."

"Mike, you did not deserve what I put you through. If you had died, it would have been _my _fault."

"But I'm not dead. We can't live our lives by 'what ifs.' I'm alive, and I forgive you."

"I visited you every day."

"Really?" Paige nodded. Mike smiled genuinely at her.

"I talked to you, too."

"What did you say?"

"I told you idle stuff, like what was going on with the house and shit. Briggs made us read this baby book, so I told you some random facts about fetuses. I could probably become a gynecologist with all the information I know. Charlie's about 16 weeks gone. She and Briggs will want you to read 'the book' too, so be prepared."

"What else did you talk to me about?" Mike wondered.

"Not much," Paige lied. She couldn't tell him that she practically professed her love for him and begged him for forgiveness every single day.

"I dreamed of you. Sometimes I would just hear your voice. I could hear you crying."

"Yeah, well… I'm going to go back to the car. I don't want them to leave without me. I'll visit you later, okay?" Paige said suddenly.

"Sure. Don't forget: I forgive you, Paige. I mean it. Don't punish yourself anymore."

"Bye, Mike."

"Goodbye, Paige."

**A/N: BOOM TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! Yay for PIKE! I'm so excited to revive Mike! I can't wait to write more about him in the next chapters. **


	5. 18 weeks

18 Weeks

"OH MY GOD!" Charlie shouted from the living room, placing her hand on her stomach. Briggs and Johnny raced into the room the second they heard her scream.

"Are you going into labor?" Johnny panicked. He placed his hands over his head and started hyperventilating.

"No, you dumbass. I'm only four and a half months pregnant!"

"Is everything okay?" Briggs asked concerned. Charlie shot him a brilliant smile.

"I think I just felt her kick!" Charlie beamed, motioning for them to come over. She guided their hands onto her stomach. "I felt it here."

Last week, they found out that Peanut was a girl. Charlie secretly wanted a little girl. As a child, she had always wanted a sister to talk to, but instead was stuck with brothers who beat her up.

"I don't feel anything," Johnny said after a while, going back to his seat.

"It was so cool, Paul," Charlie said proudly.

"That's amazing, baby," Briggs grinned.

"Is everything okay? We thought we heard shouting," Paige said, assisting Mike down the stairs. He was finally back from the hospital, but he was still weak.

"I felt Peanut kick," Charlie explained.

"That's awesome," Mike smiled. Paige led him to the couch.

"I wish you guys could have felt it," Charlie sighed. She flopped backwards onto the couch. Suddenly, Charlie lit up with an idea. "Mike, you could sing to Peanut! I read somewhere that music increases activity!"

"No. No," Mike shook his head. "No."

"Yes, you have to!" Paige chimed in.

"I can't even sing!" Mike argued.

"Uh, uh! According to Paige, you can sing like an angel," Charlie teased.

"I didn't say it like that…"

"You told?! What the hell, Paige? What is the point of a secret if you tell everyone?" Mike accused, pretending to be furious. Paige poked him in the ribs and stuck her tongue out.

"I was trying to be positive," she responded. Mike stiffened when he heard the sadness in her tone, so he tried to turn the conversation around.

"Fine! I give up! I'll sing a song. Any requests? I do anything from classic rock to Broadway. Please, please, please do not say 'All That Jazz.'"

"Why don't you sing a lullaby?" Charlie suggested.

"I don't know any!"

"Really?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"Uh…. Oh I do know one, actually. Here goes nothing." Mike rubbed his palms over his eyes before he began to sing.

"_Once there was a way to get back homeward  
>Once there was a way to get back home<br>Sleep pretty darling do not cry  
>And I will sing a lullaby <em>

_Golden slumbers fill your eyes  
>Smiles awake you when you rise<br>Sleep pretty darling do not cry  
>And I will sing a lullaby…" <em>

"Damn," Briggs said, air swooshing out of his mouth. Charlie's eyes filled with tears.

The greatest reaction of all was Paige. Her eyes became alive with a certain fire, a ghost from her past. When she smiled, it ignited her blue orbs. Mike noticed and returned the heart-stopping smile.

"I feel her kicking again!" Charlie gasped, placing her hand on her stomach. She guided Briggs' hand to where their daughter was currently kicking out a samba.

"I feel it," Briggs whispered, totally awestruck.

"You really are starting to look pregnant," Mike observed. "It's amazing."

"What the _hell_, Mike? Do I look fat to you?" Charlie snapped. Mike looked horrified.

"N-no, I didn't mean that! I just meant that you have a more prominent bump now. You don't look pregnant anywhere else! I mean you are still thin everywhere else. You look the _opposite _of fat, I mean if I didn't know you and I passed you on the street I'd probably be interested. Well, if you weren't pregnant. No, that came out wrong- I wouldn't be interested if you were pregnant because then it would've meant you were taken. Not necessarily, though-"

"Relax, Mike. I was only kidding," Charlie cackled. Johnny winced and Paige shook her head sadly.

"That was pathetic. You are not a smooth talker, my friend," Briggs commented. Mike's face flared red.

"Love you, Mikey," Charlie teased, her tongue between her teeth. Mike rolled his eyes, trying not to smile.

"Paige, you might want to reconsider dating him," Johnny added. Now it was Paige's turn to blush.

"Wh-what? We are _not _dating."

"Please, if he wasn't injured, you two would totally be doing each other."

"Johnny," Mike said in a warning tone.

"I'm just saying, man. We all know you two have this epic love that hasn't worked. Now that everything is going back to normal, it's only obvious that you two are together," Johnny explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"We aren't together," Mike replied seriously. Johnny could tell he was treading dangerous water, so he decided to back off.

"Forget I said anything," Johnny grumbled. Mike cast an apologetic look at Paige, but she just smile good naturedly.

Dating Mike wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. After he had come home from the hospital, Paige made sure to always be by his side and support him. He had trouble moving around and doing basic things. The worst of it all was the night terrors. Paige made sure to be alert so she could wake him up before they got out of control.

At first, things seemed forced between Mike and Paige. Even though Mike insisted that he forgave her, Paige still had her doubts. She knew she would never be good enough for Mike- especially after what she did.

"Okay… Let's change the subject. Charlie- how's your baby girl? How are you feeling?" Johnny asked. If you prompted Charlie to talk about Peanut, she wouldn't shut up for hours. Perfect way to diffuse any awkward tension.

"I'm so grateful to be pregnant, but the side effects are killing me. If I stand up too long my feet get all puffy, I can't sleep through the night, and my face feels swollen. I'm glad Peanut is healthy, though."

"Have you thought about any names?" Paige hinted.

"Not yet," Briggs said.

"Paige-"

"We aren't naming the kid Paige."

"Michelle or Mikaela could be veritable options," Mike threw in.

"Johnnita. Jane. Jonnie. All great, strong names," Johnny shrugged.

"We ain't naming our poor child 'Johnnita!'" Charlie shouted.

"I think you should keep it in mind."

"No," Briggs deadpanned.

"We'll worry about names later. We have plenty of time," Charlie yawned.

Paige motioned for Mike to meet her outside.

"Are you feeling up for a walk on the beach?" Paige asked. Mike nodded.

"I can't believe a Graceland baby is happening," Mike laughed once they were outside.

"I know. It seems crazy, right? I'm glad Briggs and Charlie are happy."

"Me, too. I used to want to be a dad so badly. I'd always pretend like my little sister was my daughter. I used to sing 'Golden Slumbers' to her every night."

"You _used _to want to be a dad? Don't you anymore?" Paige pried.

"Yeah, I still do, actually. I just don't know how it would work out."

"You never know. You might find someone who loves you and wants to start a family with you."

"Who would want to ever marry and start a family with me?"

"I don't think it would be that hard to find her," Paige said suggestively. Mike eyed her seriously. She pretended to be fascinated by the clouds in the sky.

"What about you? Did you ever want to start a family?"

"When I was younger, I swore off marriage and all that shit. I thought the idea was ridiculous- I was a total tomboy. Now, I changed my mind. Babies freak my out a little, but one day I hope I'll have a family of my own."

"You can always practice with Peanut," Mike pointed out.

"What if I drop her?" Paige asked, exposing one of her fears. She looked so innocent.

"You won't."

"I break everything I touch."

"Paige, no you don't. You help sustain beauty. I think you'd be a great mom, one day."

"You'd be a great dad."

Mike smiled and pictured a future with Paige. He saw her holding a baby that looked like both of them, humming a lullaby. Mike was cooking because even in a fantasy, Paige could not figure out how to prepare food. Paige looked happier than she had in months. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and she was wearing old pajamas, yet she radiated beauty.

"Ground control to Major Tom?" Paige said, snapping her fingers. Mike looked sheepish.

"Sorry, I just got carried away," Mike said hurriedly, his perfect vision quickly fading away.

He wondered if it would ever be possible to turn that dream into a reality.

**A/N: I know this is sickly sweet, but I need this. I really need there to be a third season! AHHHHHH. I really miss season 2. Tonight is going to be painful with no Graceland. I really loved season 2, and I thought the issue of human trafficking was extremely important. There are 27 million sex slaves in the world. That makes me want to cry, and then save the world from such a disgusting crime. **


	6. 20 weeks

20 weeks:

"This is truly terrible," Mike groaned. To protect him, everyone at Graceland decided it would be best to let Sid think Mike was dead. They increased security measures around the house, installing security cameras, and hired undercover 'body guards' to watch the house for suspicious activity. However, Mike was not allowed to leave the house until he was completely healed which resulted in extreme boredom. Charlie was his couch buddy, and they had probably seen every movie on Netflix at this point.

"Want to watch Captain America again?" Mike asked hopefully. Charlie threw a pillow at his head.

"That would be the third time this _week._ You have a strange Captain America fetish, Mikey. What about a classic, like Gladiator?" Charlie suggested.

"We've already watched Braveheart and 300! Gladiator is basically the same thing," Mike protested.

"I have never been so offended," Charlie gasped.

"Indiana Jones?"

"The Bourne Identity."

"We've already seen that!"

"Inception."

"I have a headache, I don't want to make it worse. What about one of the Batman movies?"

"Men in spandex? No thank you."

"It's not spandex… Never mind," Mike sighed. Obviously they were not making any progress.

"The Conjuring. I could use a scary movie," Charlie tried.

"No, don't let him watch a scary movie," Paige said, entering the room. "He'll get night terrors."

It was Mike's turn to throw a pillow.

"I will _not_ get night terrors!" Mike shouted defensively.

"Why don't you guys watch Frozen? Charlie, your kid is going to make you watch it eventually. May as well try it out now," Paige said wisely.

"What's Frosted?" Charlie asked. Paige's jaw dropped in shock.

"You did not just say that!"

"What?"

"I can't believe you haven't heard of Frozen. It was _everywhere_. Before I even saw the damn movie I had already memorized every word to 'Let It Go.'"

"Let what go?" Charlie had no idea what Frozen was about. She thought it sounded like a horror movie when Paige first mentioned it.

"Mike, you've heard of Frozen, right?"

"Yeah, I've heard of it. I haven't seen it though."

"You'll like it! Johnny and I saw it in theatres when it first came out. Don't tell him that I told you that, he was really embarrassed," Paige laughed. "Just watch it! You have to! You two are the only people in the world who haven't seen this movie."

"Eh, go ahead and rent it, Mike. I'm gonna need some ice cream for this. I don't know how I feel about this movie," Charlie grumbled.

"You'll love it!" Paige called after her.

After the first ten minutes, Charlie was in tears. Mike didn't know how to act around a sobbing pregnant woman who appeared to be attempting to drown her sorrows in ice cream.

"I-it's so s-sad! T-their parents j-just died!" Charlie wailed. Mike wrapped Charlie in a tight hug.

"It's just a movie," Mike hushed. "Look, Anna's happy now! She's singing about coronation day!" Mike couldn't believe the situation he was currently in.

"You're right, you're right. It's happy and she's singing," Charlie sniffled. "That is so embarrassing. I can't believe I just cried over a Disney movie."

"Hey, it's okay. It's probably just the hormones," Mike said reassuringly.

They turned their attention back to the movie to see Anna singing about the salad plates. They made it to the actual coronation ceremony before the next interruption.

"Are you two watching Frozen?" Johnny asked.

"Obviously," Charlie snapped.

"Is it good? I totally haven't seen it yet," Johnny said casually.

"Save it. Paige already fessed up about your trip to the movie theater," Charlie said, turning her gaze away from the TV.

"She said she wouldn't tell! Dammit Paige!"

"No shame. Right, Johnny?" Mike said cheekily.

"Do you mind if I join you? I need a break from all this work I got," Johnny shuddered.

"Of course," Charlie replied, patting the open seat next to her.

The movie completely captivated Mike, Charlie, and Johnny. When Elsa started singing 'Let It Go,' Johnny sang along with her. Charlie, with some seriously sneaky FBI skills, pulled out her phone and recorded him without him having knowledge of it.

"I don't like that Hans guy," Charlie admitted. They were now at the part where Anna meets Kristoff for the first time. "Kristoff seems like a better guy."

"Really? Hans didn't seem that bad," Mike said. They both looked at Johnny for his opinion.

"I already know what happens. I'm not going to spoil it for you!" Johnny exclaimed. "Pay attention to the movie!"

They watched as Kristoff and Anna made their way to Elsa's castle and tried to reason with her. Charlie accidentally slapped Mike when Elsa hit Anna with a ray of ice.

"Oh no!"

"Ow!"

"Shh!"

Then they went to the trolls and made it back to the castle. Hans and Anna were about to kiss, until Hans revealed his true, evil intentions.

"THAT BITCH!" Charlie shouted, knocking over her empty bowl of ice cream. Thankfully, it was plastic. "I KNEW IT!"

"I'm glad I didn't take you to the theater with me. You would've corrupted many children's innocent ears," Johnny observed.

"I CALLED IT!"

"That's pretty scary that you guessed it so fast. I was completely blindsided," Mike said.

By the end of the movie, Charlie was in tears again.

"Chuck, I didn't think you would get so emotional over this kind of movie," Johnny said. To be honest, he was terrified of this emotional roller coaster version of Charlie.

"Shut the hell up, Johnny. It's just the hormones!" Charlie shouted, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry!" Johnny said quickly, darting out of the room. He didn't want to be around Charlie when she was acting unstable.

"I enjoyed that," Mike commented.

"Yeah, it was cute," Charlie said with a smile. "Elsa was pretty badass."

"We should watch it again sometime. So… what should we watch next?"

**A/N: I needed some cute Charlie and Mike time. Next chapter will be a little bit longer! HAPPY THURSDAY **


	7. 22 weeks

22 Weeks:

The first thing that Charlie noticed when she woke up was the delectable smell of her favorite breakfast foods. The next thing she noticed was Briggs sitting on the edge of their bed holding said food items. The third thing that she noticed was that today, she, Catherine Demarco, turned 33.

"Happy birthday, my love," Briggs said, kissing her forehead. "Everyone got up extra early to make breakfast for you. Paige supervised." It was common knowledge that Paige could not cook to save her life.

"They did that for me?" Charlie asked, visibly touched by the gesture.

"We all love you, Chuck. What would you like to do on your birthday?"

"Nothing much. Maybe go out for lunch with my boyfriend."

"Oh, yeah? Who's your boyfriend?" Briggs joked. Charlie looked pensive.

"He's nothing special," she said seriously.

"That's too bad. You deserve the best of the best."

"It's okay. This loser has made his fair share of mistakes, but I wouldn't trade him for the world," Charlie smiled, kissing him on the mouth.

"Ew. Get a room, please," a voice came from the doorway.

"Um, hello? We _are _in a room. _You _are invading our personal space," Charlie snapped. Johnny rolled his eyes.

"All I wanted to do was wish you happy birthday…"

"Thanks, Johnny."

"I wanted to reprise the whole bouncy castle thing, but no one would let me."

"Stop right there." Johnny laughed and walked away. Mike, Paige, and Jakes all poked their head in the room to wish Charlie happy birthday.

Charlie and Briggs relaxed in bed for the remainder of the morning. Around noon, Briggs suggested that they go out to lunch. Unbeknownst to Charlie, everyone had planned a special surprise for her that they were going to reveal later in the day. It wasn't quite finished, so Briggs needed to get Charlie out of the house. Paige told him to distract her for at least three hours.

"Where do you want to go to eat?"

"I want Mexican food. I'm feeling La Conquista? They have the best queso."

"Perfect. Let's get dressed and then we can go."

Charlie frowned at her maternity clothes. She really did _not _like them at all. However, she didn't really have any other options, so she shrugged on her softest maxi dress. This type of dress was not something that Charlie normally would ever think of wearing, but it was the most comfortable option in her condition.

"I look like Moby Dick."

"Catherine Demarco. You do _not _look like a whale," Briggs sighed. He wished that she could see how beautiful she was right now.

"Eh, it's okay. I'm just glad that our baby is okay, you know? After I thought we lost her…"

"Hey, let's not go there right now. Today is your _birthday_, and we need to celebrate. Let's go get some food!"

When Briggs and Charlie left for lunch, Paige, Mike, Jakes, and Johnny sprang into action. A few weeks ago, Charlie had completely moved out of her old room and moved everything into Briggs'. The second she moved out, Paige jokingly suggested that they turn her old room into a nursery, but everyone fell in love with the idea. After they found out that Peanut was a girl, the members of Graceland began their work on the room. Charlie never went into it anymore, so keeping her out was not an issue. The biggest challenge was that Charlie had a lot more free time and she would spend it at Graceland, and any work on the nursery proved to be impossible while she was there. They had to come up with a least a thousand excuses as to why the second floor smelled like paint. Eventually, Mike volunteered to repaint his room to lessen her suspicion, and put Paige in charge of selecting the paint and getting his walls done because he was too busy with his work load. However, that turned out to be a mistake when Paige selected the most obnoxious orange that one could lay eyes on. Everyone except Mike thought it was hysterical.

"Why did we save the assembly of the crib for last? These instructions are in Swedish. Do any of you speak Swedish? Please say yes," Jakes prayed.

"Chill out, we are four capable agents of the FBI, DEA, and ICE. We don't need instructions; we have creativity," Paige assured. Ten minutes later, she wished she hadn't spoken so soon.

"ENGLISH, MOTHERF-"

"Don't say it-"

"DO YOU SPEAK IT? DO YOU SPEAK ANY ENGLISH? DO YOU UNDERSTAND A WORD THAT IS COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH?" Paige screeched.

"Did you really just," Mike started.

"Pulp Fiction and Rush Hour?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore," Paige surrendered. "Where are the goddamn words? These pictures don't even resemble the pieces. How do we get from Picture A to Picture B? Why did we have to choose _this _crib?"

"It's too late! We started this together, and we will finish this together… with a little help from my best friend named Jack Daniels."

"Hit me up," Paige said wearily.

"No, no. Alcohol will make things _worse_," Mike commanded forcefully.

"Peace out sober losers. Sorry Mike, but it just isn't realistic for me to finish this project without some alcohol. It won't happen," Jakes said honestly. Mike sighed, but let him go.

"You weak ass people can't get shit done. Let Johnny take care of this."

"No, Johnny. You said you would just sit and watch- please don't touch that!" Paige exclaimed.

"First of all, you put this together wrong."

"How do you know?"

"My mother used to buy cheap ass furniture that she would make me put together. It trained me perfectly for this type of situation." Either Johnny possessed a certain magic or he had some calling in furniture assembly, but by the time Jakes returned with the drinks, the pile of wood started to resemble a crib. Mike and Paige stood by with mouths wide open.

"Damn, Johnny," Jakes whistled. Johnny bowed, obviously pleased with himself.

"Hold the applause, I'm blushing."

"Just finish the damn crib before Charlie gets home, okay? Mike, let's go to the store and get some extra stuff like baby books and plush animals," Paige said authoritatively.

"Sure, boss."

"We'll be back in an hour. Charlie should be getting home in two hours, so please don't waste any time."

Paige and Mike raced off to the store, leaving Jakes and Johnny alone.

"Don't worry dude, I got the crib. Why don't you go through the checklist, okay?" Johnny said distractedly, attempting to join to pieces together.

"Okay, got it. Walls: check. Crib: almost check. Ceiling decorations: check. Paige and Mike are getting the stuffed animals and books… Comfy chair: check. Shelves: check. Wall quote: it was a bitch getting that on the wall, but check. Fluffy rug: check. Lamp: check. Paintings: check. And that's the list. Charlie better appreciate the ass busting we went through to give her this."

"She will be amazed."

An hour later, Paige and Mike returned from the store. Mike was thankful that Paige actually let him leave the house, even if it was to pick up baby stuff. Someone in the store had asked if it was for their kid, and Mike and Paige decided to go along with it.

Looking at the damage they had done, Paige admitted they might have gone a _little _overboard. The books included stuff like basic shapes and alphabets, classics like "Oh the Places You'll Go" and "The Giving Tree," and even the complete set of Harry Potter. Paige questioned that Peanut really needed all seven Harry Potters, but Mike insisted. He said the books build character. As for the stuffed animals… It took five trips to bring all of them inside. To say the least, the pair was not proud of what they had just done. It was like they couldn't say no to anything and ended up buying _everything. _

"Holy shit," Jakes said, banging his head on the wall when he saw the amount of animals and books Paige and Mike bought. "You did not."

"We did," Paige replied slightly manically. "No regrets!"

"How much did that cost? Tell me it wasn't over a thousand."

"No it wasn't over a thousand dollars! It was a little over half of a thousand dollars," Paige defended, mumbling the last part.

"Shit, you guys. Did you buy an entire store?" Johnny asked incredulously.

"Look, Briggs texted me and said that they will be back here in an hour. We could sit here arguing about minor details, or we could put this stuff away."

"Most people would just give a necklace or a gift card," Jakes mumbled. "But no, we had to do all of _this_."

"It's Charlie's birthday, and the first Graceland baby. Of course we had to go all out!"

"Fine. Whatever. Let's just polish this up before they get back."

Everything went smoothly for the next hour, or at least until Jakes discovered the seven hardcover Harry Potters.

"You could send Peanut to college with the money that these damn hardcover books cost! You couldn't even get paperback? THIS IS INSANE!"

"They'll last longer this way," Mike tried to explain, but Jakes didn't want to hear it. He had to leave the room and go to his happy place before he could calm down enough to return.

Right as they put the finishing touches on the nursery, the front door set off a little 'beep' noise (thanks to the heightened security measures) signaling that Charlie and Briggs were home. Quietly, the four shut the door and waited for Briggs to go through with the plan.

"Where is everyone?" Charlie wondered, entering the seemingly empty house. Briggs didn't answer her question.

"Chuck, we met for the first time in this house. Jakes had just brought you home, and I caught your eye the second you walked through that door. I think my heart might've jumped out of my chest. Something about you intrigued me, and I wanted to get to know you. Over there, on that couch, you pulled a bullet out of my shoulder when I couldn't get to the hospital on time. In the kitchen, you made Francesca's sauce for the first time, and you told me the story about your grandma. You cut your hand open slicing vegetables once, and I had to take you to the emergency room. How many meals have we shared at that table? I felt Peanut kick for the first time in the living room. This house has so many memories, and we're creating new ones every day," Briggs began. Charlie eyed him suspiciously.

"Where is this going, Paul?"

"Happy birthday, Charlie. I have something to show you," Briggs whispered, leaning into her ear. He led her up the stairs in front of her old room.

"That's my old room. So what?"

"It's not your old room anymore," Briggs said. He swung the door open to reveal what they had been working on for the past couple weeks.

Charlie's hand flew to her mouth and tears pooled in her eyes. The walls were painted gray and decorated with white trees and soft pink birds. The white crib, that was put together perfectly thanks to Johnny, had pink sheets that matched the birds. A cloud mobile hung over the crib. Animals of the forest lined the shelves, the crib, and the chair. The highlighting stuffed animal was a soft white lamb perched on the crib, complete with a pink bow around its neck. A quote from "Oh the Places You'll Go" was painted onto the wall facing the crib.

"This is the best part," Johnny said, flipping off the lights. Suddenly, the ceiling lit up with what resembled a sky full of stars. Charlie numbly walked through the nursery running her fingers over anything in front of her.

"You did this for me?" she asked thickly, obviously trying not to lose it.

"Happy birthday, Chuck," Briggs said, kissing her tears. The others chimed in.

"I don't know what to say." Charlie quickly wiped some of the falling tears. Briggs pulled her to his side lovingly, rubbing her stomach. "Peanut's kicking! I think she loves the room."

"I can feel her, too," Briggs said in awe. He loved feeling his daughter kick his hand.

"You better like this. I basically blew my paycheck for the entire year on this nursery," Jakes grumbled. Paige elbowed him in the ribs as hard as she could. Charlie ignored him.

"Do you like it?" Johnny asked, flipping the lights back on.

"Like it? I love it, you guys. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," Charlie said truthfully.

"We thought that Peanut deserved her own room in Graceland."

"I have the best family ever."

"We are pretty awesome, aren't we?" Mike joked.

"I'm serious. Thank you for this," Charlie said, her voice breaking. "I'm going to be a _mom_."

"I'm going to be a dad."

"And we get to be uncles and an aunt!" Charlie dragged everyone to the center of the room and threw her arms around them in a group hug.

"I love you guys."

"We love you too, Charlie."

**A/N: Now Peanut has a nursery. Coming up next, I think it is time for them to pick out a name! And, of course Charlie/Briggs and PIKE! PM me any requests or prompts for future chapters!**


	8. 23 weeks

23 Weeks:

"Adelaide."

"Are we going to raise some fancy ass British kid? No!"

"Chesney?"

"Is that even a name?"

"Reese?"

"Um… I kinda like it. Write it down."

"Nelson."

"Not bad. Write it down."

"Marina."

"Put it on the list."

"Penelope."

"Did you seriously just suggest that? Next!"

"Layla."

"Pass."

"Sinclair."

"Miss."

"Carina."

"Carina," Charlie repeated awestruck. For the past half hour, Briggs and Charlie had been reading through lists and picking out baby girls' name. They had not made much progress until now. "I think that's the one. Plus, it's Italian."

"I like it. Carina. Carina Demarco will be going places," Briggs said. They had not yet discussed the baby's last name.

"Carina _Briggs-_Demarco," Charlie tried.

"That's a hell of a name for one kid to remember."

"I want her to have both of our last names."

Briggs had to physically bite his tongue so he wouldn't blurt out, "_You could have my last name, too_." For a while, he'd been thinking about proposing to Charlie. Not just because of the baby, he had wanted to ask her to marry him weeks before Peanut was even an idea. After everything that happened, he worried that Charlie would say no.

"I think her middle name should be 'Francesca,'" Briggs offered. Charlie beamed. "Francesca's sauce brings the family together like nothing else. It reminds us that we are a family."

"I like it."

"Carina Francesca Briggs-Demarco," Briggs said. _I would like it to be Catherine Briggs and Carina Briggs, _Briggs thought wishfully. He would find the right time to propose, he just didn't know how long it would take.

"We can stop calling her Peanut now that she's got a fancy new name. Carina."

"Carina," Briggs repeated. "Hello, little Carina. I'm your daddy and I love you very much. I'll always be there to protect you."

"Carina." They couldn't get enough of the name. When they said the name out loud, they got a warm feeling inside that just felt right.

"Johnny will be mad we didn't name her Johnnita."

"That was never even remotely an option."

Briggs opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud shout from downstairs. Charlie made a 'we-should-go-investigate' look. Briggs, not being restricted by a human being inside of him, was able to make it downstairs much faster.

Fearing that it might be Sid, Briggs was relieved to see the shouting was coming from Mike and Paige. However, some of the fear returned when he noticed Paige's white shirt was drenched in red.

"You should have been more careful!" Mike shouted. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Mike, please. I am fine now!" Paige argued.

"You almost _died_. You got stabbed!"

"Whoa, whoa. Will someone please _calmly _explain what happened?" Briggs asked, acting as an arbiter.

"_Paige _was working on the Peirce case. She went to his meeting place for introductions; she was undercover as an interested buyer, the usual. Except this man, Peirce, wasn't about to be fooled. He makes all of his buyers shoot up, and Paige refused. He suspected that she was a cop, so he stabbed her."

"You make me sound defenseless, Mike. I put up I good fight and hurt him _way _worse than he hurt me. His knife managed to make contact with my shoulder. I did not almost die! I don't know why you are being so ridiculous!"

"Oh, I'm being ridiculous? You're the ridiculous one! You know how to fake shooting up, why didn't you just pretend?"

"_Because_ Mike, they were going to make me use their supplies! They already suspected I was undercover!"

"I was in a similar situation, Paige. I know how it is and it ain't easy," Charlie said understandingly.

"They told me that I handled the situation well. We had a major win today, and you are too stupid to see that!" Paige thundered. "I'm barely injured, Mike! I can work tomorrow. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"When Johnny got the call that you had been _stabbed… _Do you even know how it feels? I thought that you might be dead!" The second the words left Mike's mouth, he regretted it. Paige's eyes filled with tears and bolted out of the room. "Wait, Paige! I didn't mean that!"

Paige slammed and locked the door to her room. Mike pounded helplessly on the outside.

"Paige! I didn't mean that," Mike said softly.

"Get the hell away from my door."

"Let me in."

Silence.

"I don't have to ask. I will kick down this door, Paige. Can you please make it easier for me?"

Wordlessly, Paige swung the door open with an impressive force.

"You think I don't know what it feels like?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Paige, the second I said it, I regretted it. I wasn't thinking straight, and I know I had no right to yell at you. You were just doing your job, and you did a damn good job. I just freaked out when I thought you were hurt," Mike sighed. A small smile formed on Paige's lips, but she tried to hide it.

"You were kind of a bitch about it though."

"I thought maybe you got stabbed in the stomach and it would be too late to save you."

"I don't need to be saved, Mike. I can save myself."

"I know, I know. I just… You're different, Paige. I can't help but worry."

"What, you think I'm _weaker _than everyone else?"

"No! It has nothing to do with you, but it has everything to do with the way I feel about you…"

"Oh, yeah? And how do you feel about me?"

Mike looked down and grinned.

"You're beautiful, Paige, and you only get more beautiful every time you speak. You're passionate, driven, and smart. Today when I thought that you might be dead… Let me just say the way that I feel when I am with you is much better than the way that I feel when I'm not."

"Mike…"

"Maybe the timing has always been wrong, or maybe we're the world's unluckiest people, but I've always been rooting for us." Before Paige could even blink, Mike leaned in and kissed her soundly.

"I've wanted to do that for so long."

Paige opened and closed her mouth in shock, but soon recovered from the initial surprise. She closed the gap between the two once more in a fierce kiss.

Charlie and Briggs were suspicious when they couldn't hear talking anymore (they decided to 'listen in' on Paige and Mike just in case things got to the point where lamps started to get thrown), but they knew better to barge in.

"Ten bucks that they're making out."

"C'mon, let's get out of here. You know how annoying it is to be snooped on," Charlie hissed, dragging Briggs back to the kitchen.

"Johnny is gonna be pissed. He had a bet going with Jakes about Paige and Mike. Johnny said it would take them till the end of this month, but Jakes bet till the end of this week. I think the wager was fifty dollars."

"Really? Betting on them hooking up?"

"I may have, um, made a contribution to that bet."

"When did you say they were going to get together?"

"I might have said the day that Mike got back from the hospital…"

**A/N: PIKE happiness and yay. I loved writing that chapter. Peanut has a name now!**


	9. 24 weeks

24 Weeks:

"Hey, Charlie, can you help me out with something?" Johnny asked, looking up from the empty orange juice container, the pitcher of water, and the Kraft mac n' cheese.

"Whatever you're planning, I don't want to hear it." Charlie carefully eased herself onto a chair.

"Please just hear me out." She didn't say no, so Johnny kept talking. "I want to prank Mike. Last week, he jumped out at me when I came out of the bathroom, scaring the living shit out of me. I just want to teach him a little lesson: _never _mess with a Tuturro."

"So you're planning to mix that cheese into the water and put it in the orange juice so Mikey will drink the cheese water instead of OJ?"

"Yup," Johnny beamed.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. If you want to prank someone, do it right," Charlie dictated.

"Oh yeah? What's doing it 'right' according to the one and only Catherine Demarco?"

"We can start out with the cheese water. He'll think that's it, but the pranks are far from over. We have to target something that is more valuable than just two seconds of the unpleasantness of drinking cheese water when you're expecting orange juice. I propose we attack his sleep."

"You really want to go there?"

"We Demarco's take pranks very seriously."

"How do you suggest we attack his sleep?"

"Alarm clocks. Dozens of them. We buy a bunch of cheap ones, and we'll place them all throughout his room. We set the wake up time five minutes after the other. He'll be up in the wee hours of the morning trying to find all the alarm clocks and shut them off. Maybe Mike will appreciate the lack of sleep that I've been getting!"

"That sounds like something Satan would come up with. It's perfect."

"Oh, but it doesn't stop there," Charlie grinned evilly.

"What Mike did wasn't that bad… Does he really deserve this?"

"It doesn't matter if he deserves this or not, I love pranks. Don't bother changing my mind. I have a doctor's appointment in a half hour, and I'll pick up the clocks after that. And zip ties… but that's for later."

"Chuck! What are you gonna do with the zip ties?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Please, _please _tell me it isn't illegal."

"Ugh, don't be a wuss. I know what I'm doing. Anyway, if we want to drive Mike really insane, we can't confess to pulling the pranks. We should do things to throw him off our trail and make him suspect someone else, probably Jakes."

"What am I getting myself into?"

Later that day, Charlie did not care that she was getting a million strange looks for buying such a large amount of $5 clocks. It would all be worth it.

When she got back to Graceland, everyone had left. Quickly, she began her work on Mike's room, placing the alarm clocks anywhere and everywhere. She painted over all the buttons so Mike wouldn't know how to turn it off.

Mike and Briggs got home at the same time, and Charlie smirked when Mike proclaimed how exhausted he was. Briggs noticed the evil glint in her eyes, but he didn't comment on it in front of Mike.

Later, when they were in bed, he turned to her, "I know you're gonna prank Mike. I know you, Chuck, and you have to be careful. I saw it in your eyes. We cannot have a repeat of last time."

"Hey! Bates eyebrows grew back. It was just a little bit of fun."

"You hazed the new guy. I'm surprised he didn't quit."

"It was a _prank_."

"Just… don't get carried away, okay?" he said, kissing her forehead and turning out the lights.

"Promise."

The next morning, Mike was woken bright and early to a loud beeping noise. At first, he assumed it was one of the new security systems going off, so he reached for his gun. Then, he realized it was _not _an alarm, but rather an alarm clock. Scratching his head, Mike tried to locate the source of the noise.

It was nowhere. After five minutes of unsuccessful searching, another alarm went off. Mike grinned in triumph when he found a clock under his bed. However, the feeling of victory was fleeting because he noticed that the clock that he had found was _not _currently beeping. He tossed it on his bed.

"Where are you?" he asked deliriously, stumbling through his room. "Who would do this to me?"

Soon, another clock when off, then another, then another. This cycle did not end anytime soon. In total, Mike only found four clocks. Charlie had hidden 25.

Around 8:30, the alarms finally all stopped. Mike was sleep deprived, but he had to go to work. Half awake, he stumbled down the stairs to find Charlie and Briggs sitting in the kitchen.

"Damn, we're all out of coffee!" Briggs exclaimed. He suspected Charlie had something to do with this.

"What? NO! We CANNOT be out of coffee!" Mike shouted desperately.

"Sorry, Mike," Briggs said apologetically. He cast Charlie a slight glare.

"You can get coffee on the way to work," Charlie added. "You don't look so good, Mike. Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick. One of you assholes put alarm clocks in my room and they wouldn't stop going off… You can fill in the rest. I suspect Johnny. Last week, I jumped out and scared him," Mike grumbled. Charlie laughed and pretended to be surprised.

"That's awful, Mike. Apparently we are living with three year olds," Briggs said, the insult directed at Charlie. She kicked him when Mike wasn't looking.

"I guess I'll just make some breakfast. Orange juice will have to do… I want coffee…"

Charlie put on her best poker face as Mike took out the cheese water and poured it into a cup. He took a sip and then dropped the cup on the floor, spilling the orange drink everywhere.

"BLECCCCHHH!" Mike shouted, running to the sink and flushing out his mouth. "WHAT THE _HELL _DID I JUST DRINK?"

"What just happened?" Briggs sighed. Charlie picked up the orange juice container and sniffed it, feigning innocence.

"Ew, this doesn't smell right," Charlie observed. "What did it taste like, Mike?" Mike, who was currently preoccupied with sticking the kitchen sink sprayer head down his throat, did not answer.

After several minutes of extensive flushing, Mike put the sprayer back down.

"It tasted… cheesy," Mike shuddered. "What. The. Hell."

"Let's throw that out right away," Briggs said. "Charlie can clean up the mess."

"Briggs, I really can't bend down."

"Do your best."

"Hey, man. It's fine. I can clean it up. Charlie can't bend down, and the mess wasn't her fault. I can get this," Mike stated, grabbing some paper towels.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Charlie whispered into Briggs' ear. Mike scrubbed the floor, muttering something about how he's gonna kill Johnny.

The next day, Mike rolled out of bed at 9 in the morning. He decided to use ear plugs to block out the alarm clocks. He tried to open his clothes drawer, only to find it wouldn't open. Confused, Mike yanked harder to no avail. The door had been zip tied shut.

Angrily, Mike stormed out his room and pounded on Johnny's door.

"Not cool, man!" Mike shouted. "Zip ties? REALLY FREAKING CLEVER!"

"Chill out, Mike! It wasn't me!" a sleepy Johnny called back.

"Oh, really? You don't know how far I will go to prove you guilty!"

Mike reentered his room and slammed his door. Frustrated, he went to the bathroom, only to find that his toilet was zip tied shut. How someone managed to do that, Mike didn't know. He tried other things around his room only to find them zip tied- his shower door, his cabinets, his brief case, the lid to his laundry basket. The most horrifying item to be zip tied was easily the scissors.

Mike declared a house meeting downstairs effective immediately.

"This has to stop," Mike seethed. The agents of Graceland had never seen him so angry. "Who is pranking me?"

No one spoke.

_Dammit, _Mike thought. _These people are trained in interrogation. Whoever did this won't fess up. _

"Johnny, I know it was you," Mike sighed.

"Dude, I told you: _it wasn't me_. I'm not that clever!"

"Who else would've done this? Paige? Charlie? Briggs? Jakes?"

"I wouldn't do this to you," Paige said, kissing him on the cheek. "That would be mean."

"I'm kind of losing my mind!" Mike yelled. "NO MORE PRANKS!"

Briggs cast Charlie a disapproving look, but she just rolled her eyes. When everyone left, Briggs turned to Charlie.

"You made the poor kid lose his mind. Are you done yet?"

"Fine. I'll stop with the pranks. I thought it was funny," Charlie mumbled.

"To be honest, I thought it was funny, too," Briggs chuckled. "You kind of made Mike go off the deep end."

"Sorry, I'll cease fire!" Charlie surrendered.

Mike never found out who pulled all the pranks. He took a couple of the clocks into the office to get them tested for finger prints, but there were none. He tried to check the security cameras, but the footage had been erased. Luckily, the culprit took all the clocks out of his room and removed the zip ties. Mike figured that no real harm was done, so he'd stop his investigation and let it be. But next time anyone dared to prank Mike Warren, he'd be ready.

**A/N: I think this happened because I spent too much time watching The Office. I love it when Jim pranks Dwight and he loses his mind. I don't even know. I might post another chapter tonight if you guys want it!**


	10. 26 weeks

26 Weeks:

"I'm sure he's fine, Charlie," Mike said reassuringly. He and Paige exchanged a nervous glance.

"He hasn't called," Charlie sniffled, checking her phone for the millionth time. "He _always _calls."

"His phone probably died or something. I bet that's he's on his way back home," Paige soothed.

"Yeah, the FBI would've called us if something happened," Johnny added, shoveling a bite of chicken into his mouth.

"Can you seriously not wait?" Jakes lectured. "We are waiting on Briggs."

"I'm hungry!" Johnny defended, but he put his fork down. Charlie glanced at her phone again nervously.

"Let's give it ten more minutes, and then we'll eat without him," she said decisively. Ten minutes came and went, but Briggs never showed up. Everyone dug in, though the atmosphere felt terse.

"This is good chicken, Charlie," Paige commented in an attempt to take Charlie's mind off of Briggs' absence.

"Thanks."

"Is this a famous family recipe?"

"No."

"Oh, well…" Paige looked to Mike for help.

"Should we tell them about us now? It might be a good distraction," he whispered into her ear.

For the past couple weeks, Paige and Mike have been secretly dating. They didn't want anyone to know just yet so soon into the relationship. Also, it was fun sneaking around.

"Paige and I have something to tell you."

"Oh no. Please tell me Graceland baby 2 isn't on the way. I'm still recovering from the shock of Carina," Jakes begged. Paige's mouth dropped open and she shot Jakes the evilest look she could manage. If the comment offended Charlie, she didn't show it.

"No! What the hell? Mike and I are _dating_ not _expecting_," Paige huffed.

"We already knew about it," Charlie said. "We caught you two kissing. And last week Johnny saw you coming out of Mike's room."

"Oh, I guess the cat's out of the bag," Mike chuckled lamely. "At least we don't have to hide our feelings anymore."

Paige leaned in to kiss Mike.

"Ew, just because we know, it doesn't mean you have to kiss each other every chance you get," Johnny cringed.

"Johnny, we aren't going to kiss 'every chance.' It just felt right at that moment."

"What the hell made you think kissing in front of us is right?"

The bickering continued, and Charlie looked at her phone again.

"Charlie, put your phone down," Mike commanded.

"No. I am waiting for Briggs to call."

"Let's watch a movie. Maybe it's time to whip out 'Frozen' again? How about a classic, like 'The Princess Bride?'" Mike suggested.

"No and no. I couldn't concentrate on a movie."

"Board game."

"No."

"Alright, I'm out of ideas," Mike surrendered.

"Way to go Mike. That was a grand total of two ideas."

"Three- I said 'Frozen,' 'The Princess Bride,' _and _board game."

"That didn't help."

"Shut up. You guys are giving me a headache. I'm going to go to bed because it's late and I'm tired. Briggs obviously isn't going to respond."

"Don't worry about Briggs. He can take care of himself."

Charlie slammed the door to her room so hard, it made the house vibrate. She tried to get ready for bed, but she couldn't fall asleep without Briggs. She sat in the dark with tears streaming down her face, hoping that Briggs wasn't dead. Around one o'clock in the morning, the front door opened and a bruised Briggs limped into the house. He tried to enter his room quietly so he wouldn't wake Charlie up, but she was already up.

"Where the hell were you, Briggs?" Charlie spat.

"I was working the Cruz case, but his guys were set up to ambush me. He smashed my phone on the ground on accident during a fight, so I couldn't call you. I ended up overpowering him, but he got in some good punches first. While I was inside, some of his other guys slashed the tires and beat up my truck really badly. Instead of waiting for a tow truck to show up, I made a run for it. That's why it took me so long to get home," Briggs explained.

"You could have gone to a payphone or something."

"I didn't have money."

"You could've asked a stranger for change. Why didn't you get any backup?"

"I didn't think I needed backup. It was supposed to be a quick thing, but the guys had other plans."

Charlie didn't want to hear it.

"Go," she said forcefully.

"What?"

"I don't want to look at you right now. Go sleep somewhere else."

"Where?"

"On the couch, I don't care! Just leave!" Charlie shouted, trying to shove Briggs out of the doorway. For a 6 and a half months pregnant woman, she had a lot of strength. Briggs let her slam the door in his face.

"Charlie, I'm sorry!" She didn't respond, but Briggs could hear her sobbing. He tried the doorknob, but it was locked. He didn't think he'd get much sleep on the couch, so he decided to sit outside of Charlie's door and wait for her.

Two hours later, Briggs heard movement from inside the room. Charlie opened the door and greeted him with a tear stained face.

"I'm sorry, baby. I was just worried about you," Charlie said, wiping her eyes.

"Hey," Briggs whispered softly, pulling her into a hug (as well as he could with her stomach).

"I thought maybe something had happened to you and you wouldn't be able to see Carina be born. I thought I would never see you again."

"I'll always come back for you, Charlie. Don't worry about me."

"Don't bother telling me not to worry about you. I will never not worry about you."

"I love you, Charlie."

"I love you too, Paul."

**A/N: I JUST NEED A SEASON 3 OKAY**


	11. 27 weeks

27 Weeks:

Even though Charlie had built a freaking castle out of pillows, nothing was comfortable enough. Carina would not stop turning and wriggling around inside of her, and as a result she could not sleep. Briggs had his arm wrapped around her protectively, so she gently tried to pry herself away from his sleeping form in order to get up for a midnight snack. After a couple seconds of squirming, she was finally free.

She walked out of their room but stopped when she heard distinct whimpering coming from Mike's room. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she barged in. Paige was out on a case, so she wouldn't have been there to hear his cries. Mike thrashed and kicked and clawed at the air, tears streaming down his face. He kept shouting 'no, no don't hurt them!'

"Mike," Charlie said softly, gently rousing him from his sleep. It didn't work, so she nudged him a little bit harder. "It's just a dream, Mikey. You're safe. You're with me."

Mike didn't wake up, but his protesting decreased slightly. Charlie grabbed his shoulders and tried even harder to wake him up. She gasped in shock when his fist got dangerously close to her stomach.

"MIKE!" she shouted, and his eyes snapped open. He seemed confused for a second before he realized where he was.

"Sorry, I just…" he trailed off.

"I know." Charlie pulled Mike closer and ran her fingers through his hair. "It's alright, Mike. Want to talk about it?"

Mike was silent for a few minutes. Charlie could feel her shirt growing damp.

"I had a dream about Sid. This time, he came back. He tied me up and was going to kill all of you right in front of me. He was going to start with Paige."

"Paige is safe, you know that. She'll be back home in two days, unharmed. She's tough as they come."

"I know that's true, but I can't think straight. All I can picture is her blood on Sid's hands, and it makes me sick."

"Do you know what would make you feel better? Some ice cream," Charlie suggested. Truthfully, she had been craving ice cream ever since she woke up, but she figured that Mike could use some too.

"Ice cream? At three o'clock in the morning?"

"Why the hell not?"

"Okay," Mike said giddily. Charlie led him downstairs, introducing him to her ice cream collection.

"I've been craving ice cream like nothing else, so I picked up every flavor one could ever wish to eat. Choose your poison."

"Why try one, when we can try them all?" Mike asked, wagging his eyebrows.

"I like the way you think," Charlie grinned, selecting the raspberry and chocolate ice cream first. "This one is amazing, you should try it."

Two hours and 18 flavors later, Mike had forgotten all about his nightmare. Charlie was telling him a random story about a time when she and Briggs went on a fishing tour in Alaska and the boat got a hole in it. The communication system went down, and the boat was sinking fast. The captain went into shock, and if they fell in the water, they'd freeze to death in under a minute. Right when they thought they were going to die, another boat of fisherman pulled up next to them.

"I've never seen any man or woman leap out of one boat onto another so fast in my life. Paul Briggs practically flew out of that boat," Charlie recalled. "He's never gone back to Alaska since. I don't think he's fished since then either. Your turn to tell me a story."

"Umm… Ooo, I got one. When I was five years old, Captain America was my favorite superhero. Let me rephrase: he still _is _my favorite superhero. However, when I was five, I thought it was acceptable to dress exactly like him. Every day, I would don the star spangled banner spandex costume and walk around proudly. My parents wouldn't let me wear it to school, so one day I wore it underneath my clothes and waited until my parents were out of sight. Then, I took off my regular clothes and wore around my Captain America suit, trying to save people from crime. I looked like an idiot and got in a lot of trouble."

"Are there pictures?"

"Of course there are pictures. I don't have them with me though. My mom has them all."

"Get her to send them to you. I _have _to see them!" Charlie giggled. "I'm just picturing you as a kid wearing his suit, chest all puffed out, saving a tiny little kid from a big mean bully."

"That's pretty much what happened."

"Yeah, well, as much fun as these past two hours have been, I think I need to catch a couple more hours of sleep. Will you be okay, Mike?"

"I'll be fine. I think I could use some sleep, too."

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

"This really helped. I think I'll be able to get a little more sleep without having any nightmares. When Paige is with me, I don't get them. I just want her to get back," Mike said, his voice cracking. Charlie wrapped him in a tight hug.

"She'll be back soon, Mikey. But if you need anything, don't worry about waking me up. I'll always help you out, okay?"

"Okay. Please don't mention this to anyone, not even Briggs. I don't want to look weak. Obviously, Paige knows about the nightmares, but I haven't told anyone else."

"It'll be our little secret. I won't tell anyone."

In the morning when Briggs commented on the ridiculous amount of empty ice cream containers, Charlie just brushed it off and said she woke up in the middle of the night and got a snack. She winked at Mike behind Briggs' back. Mike was glad that he could always count on Charlie.

**A/N: This was a prompt fill, and I totally loved the idea. I really like the Mike/Charlie brother-sister kind of relationship. PM me with any requests. And thank you all for the amazing reviews, favorites, and follows **** ALSO: If any of you guys were wondering, I will be posting chapters after Charlie's baby is born. I really want to write a chapter where they all go to Disneyworld and have cute family time.**


	12. 28 weeks

28 Weeks:

Paige awoke with a strong pair of arms wrapped around her torso. She turned around and snuggled into the owner of the pair of said arms.

"Morning, Paige," Mike said in his gravelly sleep voice.

"Morning," Paige replied, kissing his mouth. Mike cupped her face and returned the kiss passionately, but Paige pulled away with a devilish smirk.

"We have big things to do. If we don't get up now, we never will," Paige teased. She slowly got out of bed. "Why is it so cold in this room?"

"I don't know, it feels like a meat locker," Mike agreed, following Paige out of bed. Paige cheekily grabbed Mike's room that was hanging behind the door and pulled it on.

"What? It's cold," Paige said innocently, tying the robe closed.

"I liked it much better _off_," Mike commented, pulling Paige closer. She whacked him on the arm.

"Don't drag me into that trap, Mike Warren. We have certain things that we need to accomplish today that cannot be completed from the bedroom. C'mon, let's get some breakfast," Paige urged.

"We don't have to do this…"

"Mike Warren, if you even imply that we are not going to throw Charlie a baby shower-"

"I just don't see the point! We already threw her a great birthday party, do we really need another reason to celebrate her so soon?"

"Take that back. Charlie does so much for you, and this is how you're repaying her?"

"I'm just saying, it's a bit much. We don't have the funds to keep this operation going."

"What if I said that about your birthday?"

"I wouldn't care," Mike scoffed. "I'm an adult who does not care if he gets a birthday cake or not. This is ridiculous."

"You'd be secretly offended. And I think that you want to throw Charlie a baby shower," Paige sighed.

"No! Maybe. I don't know. It just seems like a waste of time."

"C'mon Mike! It's going to be small. We aren't creating an entire nursery or anything, we're just getting pink cupcakes, some pink decorations, and saying some nice words about Charlie."

"I'm doing this for Charlie and not because you look beautiful when you beg," Mike joked.

"Watch your mouth, Mike," Paige threatened, leaning in closer and closer. Right as she was about to make contact with his lips, she pulled away. "You might just get _burned_."

Even though Paige was trying to tease Mike, when she emphasized the word 'burn,' it sent an uncomfortable shiver in the air (and not because it was freezing in the house).

"Hey, let's go get some breakfast," Mike replied, getting out of bed.

Paige smiled at him, and he watched as she walked away. _She's so beautiful, _Mike thought. _I think I'm in love with her. Maybe one day we will have our own Peanut._

Downstairs, Briggs and Jakes were discussing something gravely.

"Hate to break up whatever this is, but Mike and I are planning something," Paige said, interrupting the two.

"We have something important we have to talk about. Some idiot blew his cover and our whole operation is in jeopardy," Jakes grunted. "You two can take your plotting elsewhere."

"It isn't plotting, it's party planning. We want to through Charlie a baby shower," Paige explained.

"I'm really happy you're doing that for my girlfriend, and Charlie will love it, but I do not have the time to help you," Briggs replied heavily. "I really need to deal with this shit."

"Me, too. Sorry. Don't go crazy on the decorations," Jakes said.

"Where's Charlie? Is it possible you could get her out of the house for a little while?"

"She's already gone. She left a couple minutes ago for some pregnancy yoga class," Briggs mentioned. "She shouldn't be back for at least an hour."

"Perfect! Instead of making cupcakes, I think we'll just go to the store and buy some. I was thinking about getting some candles-"

"Sounds great, Paige, but I don't have the time to hear it," Jakes said unenthusiastically.

"I really appreciate what you're doing for Chuck. I wish I could help," Briggs approved. "I'm glad that we have such a good family."

"We'll always be your family," Paige grinned.

"Okay, this is getting to feely for me. Briggs, we need to focus on our jobs right now," Jakes groaned.

"Sorry, but he's right. We need to go to the Bureau. We'll see you guys later. Good luck on getting the party ready," Briggs said dismissively. He and Jakes quickly left to go clean up whatever mess had been made.

"Johnny's in Mexico, so that just leaves you and me. Dammit, why did I have to be stuck with you?" Paige joked.

"You're a very lucky girl," Mike laughed.

"Okay, let's get down to business. We have a lot of stuff to do before Charlie gets back. The party won't be until later, so we'll have to hide the cupcakes and other items. Hey, look alive!" Paige said, tapping Mike's cheek.

"I'm listening, it's just hard to focus when such a pretty girl is talking to me and nobody is home…"

"Do not tempt me, Mike Warren," Paige warned.

"Me? Never."

"Mike, I mean it! We need to go. First we'll have to get dressed-"

"We'll have to get undressed first-"

"Stop!" Paige said firmly. "I don't…"

Mike leaned across the counter, his tight shirt revealing his muscles. He didn't want to have to do this to her, but she left him no choice: Mike used the smolder.

"I don't…" Paige trailed off. "It's, um…"

Mike wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her flesh against his body.

"I can resist you, Mike. This won't work," Paige choked out unconvincingly.

"But you don't _have _to resist me," Mike reasoned.

"But…"

Mike leaned in to kiss her. Paige sighed in defeat against his mouth.

"You're lucky that I love you," Paige laughed, and then froze once she realized what she had said. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, Paige. I love you, too," Mike whispered back.

"I guess the house isn't vacant that often, and we should really take advantage of this. We can always plan Charlie's baby shower another day. The kid won't be born for weeks," Paige contemplated.

"I like the way you think."

And that is exactly how Charlie's baby shower did not happen.

**A/N: I was actually going to write a chapter where Mike and Paige go around town looking for cupcakes and stuff but then I felt lazy and decided that they would not make it out of the house. If you guys want, I might post another chapter later! **


	13. 29 weeks

29 Weeks:

"I have to go check in with the Bureau," Charlie groaned, aggressively hanging up her phone.

"Why is that an issue?" Jakes wondered. "I mean, you told your boss about your situation. I've heard they're really accommodating about that kind of stuff."

The two were currently enjoying Jakes' day off at the beach. Briggs and Paige had initially joined them, but ditched them to go surfing. Mike and Johnny were in Van Nuys on a surveillance op.

"I told him, but I don't know. I really don't want to walk past all the agents I've worked with looking like a house. What will they think of me? I told my control officer not to mention the pregnancy to anyone."

"So, no one knows why you haven't been at work in so long?"

"Nope. I mean, I hoped that they would forget about me, but if I walk through the Bureau looking like a whale… I didn't want this to happen."

"It isn't that bad. At least you can return to work once Carina is born. Walking through a building filled with fellow FBI agents can't be the worst thing you've ever done."

"What if someone asks to touch my stomach? You know I hate that."

"Touch their stomach back."

"Jakes… seriously."

"I'll come with you, okay? If anyone comes up to you, I'll protect you from their touchiness and their questions," Jakes offered. Charlie smiled at the thought. "What do they need you for anyway?"

"They want me to be there in an hour to talk about the baby. I guess they want to hear my plans for after Carina is born and if I plan to return to the FBI and all that shit. They want to talk to Briggs, too. I should probably go find him."

"I'll help you look."

They found Paige and Briggs pretty quickly. Briggs caught got distracted when he saw Charlie, and fell head first off of his surf board and disappeared under a wave. When he resurfaced, Paige circled him and laughed her ass off.

"Did someone get distracted by a pretty girl?" Paige teased, pointing to Charlie. On the beach, Charlie looked distressed trying to see if Briggs was okay after his fall. "It appears as though you're in looveee."

"Very funny. Let's go see what those two want." Briggs knocked the side of his head in an attempt to get some of the water out of his ear.

"The Bureau called. They want to talk to us about the baby," Charlie said when Briggs got close. She didn't want to scream out for the whole beach that they were FBI.

"Right now?" Briggs asked.

"In about an hour. You should probably go change."

"Hey, are you okay? You look upset," Briggs said, gently cupping her face.

"What if the other agents judge me? I worked so hard to get where I am, but what if they think I'm just a good for nothing loser who got herself knocked up?"

"Chuck. First of all, I _never _want to hear you call yourself that ever again. You are one of the best goddamn FBI agents out there. Second, they won't judge you. No one is going to ask if Carina was planned or not. They probably will assume we wanted to start a family. I'll be right by your side the entire time."

"Jakes is coming, too."

"Charlie, baby, look at me. This will all be okay. Don't sweat this," Briggs comforted.

"I can do this," Charlie tried to convince herself. "I _will _do this."

"If I believe in you, _you _should believe in you. If you haven't noticed, I don't really believe in a lot of things. Trust me when I say that I believe you are the strongest woman I've ever met."

"You're going soft," Charlie said tearfully.

"You already turned me soft, baby."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but is everything alright?" Paige asked, approaching the two.

"Yeah, I just have to have a talk with my boss about this kid, and I'll have to walk past _everybody _and they'll see that I'm pregnant."

"I can come with you," Paige offered.

"Sure, but Jakes and Briggs are already coming."

"The more the merrier, right? If Johnny and Mike were here, they'd join us, too. It won't be that bad," Paige said with a smile. Charlie shrugged, digging her feet into the sand. Except she couldn't see her feet over her protruding stomach.

"You should change, then. We'll have to leave pretty soon."

Once Paige and Briggs had changed out of their wetsuits and the four of them had piled into the SUV, they were ready to leave for the Bureau.

"Don't be nervous," Briggs advised, covering Charlie's hand with his own.

"Don't tell me what to do," she retorted. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I'm just nervous."

"It's okay. Just remember that this will be over shortly."

All too soon but not soon enough, they pulled up to the building. Charlie took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, followed by Briggs, Jakes, and Paige. They all sent reassuring glances in her direction. Side by side, they walked into the building. Almost ten seconds after the entered the building, they passed an agent that Charlie knew pretty well.

"Agent Demarco! I had been wondering where you went," Agent Sprouse said. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Charlie replied. She tried to force a smile as they passed. At least he didn't stop to touch her stomach!

When they got deeper into the building, they ran into more and more people. Some just stared from a distance in slight shock, while others actually came up to talk to Charlie. Briggs noticed how uncomfortable she was, and she had an iron grip on his hand.

"Almost there," he whispered supportively.

The one person Charlie was praying not to see walked straight up to them: Penny Headley. She was known as the rudest, most gossipy agent at the Bureau.

"That explains a lot," Agent Headley said coolly. "You look just about ready to pop!"

"I still have two months left," Charlie replied with an equal amount of iciness.

"Congratulations! I'd tell you to say 'congrats' to the father, but I have a feeling you don't even know who he is."

"As a matter of fact, Agent Headley, _I _am the father," Briggs spat. Charlie had never seen him look so livid. Agent Headley cowered a little bit, but quickly recovered. Paige and Jakes eyed each other in amazement.

"I don't see any wedding rings. I'm guessing your little sweetheart was quite the surprise," Agent Headley smirked.

"Listen up, asshole. You're being a bitch to my friends, and I'm not okay with that. Their baby is a miracle. Charlie and Briggs are going to be the best goddamn parents on this Earth, so why don't you stick your nose out of their business before it gets you fired?" Paige snapped. Everyone's reaction was priceless: Jakes and Penny's mouth dropped wide open, Charlie lowered her slowly rising fist, and Briggs laughed.

"Well put, Paige," Briggs grinned, proud of his friend.

"_I'm _not the one who should be worried about my job. I doubt your boss will let you have yours back after the baby is born. No use in an agent who has gone soft," Agent Headley retorted.

"You'd better watch your back, Agent Headley. I have no problem proving to you that I have not gone soft," Charlie threatened, balling her fists.

"C'mon Chuck. She isn't worth it. Let's go," Briggs said, glaring at Penny.

"Plus, you technically can't into a fight when you are seven months pregnant," Jakes whispered into Charlie's ear so Penny wouldn't hear it. Charlie rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, let's go," Charlie agreed.

"Congratulations again!" Agent Headley called after them.

"What a bitch," Charlie muttered.

"Chuck, don't listen to her," Briggs said.

"I'm not. She doesn't know anything about me," Charlie said through gritted teeth.

"She should be fired for treating a fellow FBI agent like that," Paige fumed.

"Hey, we aren't gonna be tattletales, okay?" Charlie said firmly.

"So we aren't going to do anything about that?"

"No, I have a plan. If you didn't know, I'm extra talented at getting revenge…" Charlie said evilly. "While Briggs and I are in this meeting, Paige and Jakes, you two have a job to do. Find out what her car is and _do your worst_."

"Our worst?" Paige gasped. "That might be too far."

"Nothing is too far," Charlie said seriously.

"Is this really the best idea?" Jakes questioned.

"Yes," Briggs responded. Jakes looked at him in surprise.

"Normally you'd be the one to shut this kind of scheming down!" Jakes exclaimed.

"No one talks to Charlie like that without a penalty," Briggs said gravely.

"I already have such a good idea that involves so many dicks," Paige plotted.

"Sounds great. Make sure it can't be traced back to you, but take pictures of the damage. I want to see," Charlie grinned. "We have to go, but good luck."

Charlie and Briggs walked off, leaving Paige and Jakes with their challenge.

"You go talk to her about her car or something, I don't know. Go into her purse and find her keys. Just find out what type of car she drives. I'll be gathering materials," Paige whispered. Jakes nodded and went off to find Penny Headley. Paige found some permanent markers, nametags, bologna, and duct tape.

"Alright, she drives a black Ford Explorer parked next to the lamppost," Jakes said, approaching Paige.

"How in the world did you find that out?" Paige wondered.

"First, I watched her like a hawk until she moved. Eventually, she went to the bathroom and I quickly went through her stuff. I found her car keys, so I knew she had a Ford. I passed her on her way back from the bathroom. I lied and asked her if she knew anyone who owned a Ford because one was blocking me. She said she owned one, and I asked her what hers looked like. The rest happened magically, if you know what I mean. Let's go find this car."

The two quickly hurried out of the building, getting ready for ambush. Paige tore up the nametags in half and stuck them on her windshield spelling out "I'm an asshole." Jakes took the permanent marker and drew dicks on her windows. They stuffed the bologna in the gas tank. It was glorious.

"Okay, I have an idea. I saw this on Myth Busters or something once where they duct taped a car to a lamp post. She's parked next to a lamp post and I have the tape…" Paige thought aloud.

"I see where you're going, but would that be too far?"

"Charlie said to do your worst."

"You do realize that there are probably surveillance cameras watching our every move."

"It's worth it…"

"I wash my hands with this. You can duct tape the car, and I'll be an innocent bystander."

Paige took the duct tape and wrapped it around the car and lamp post several times. Luckily, Penny parked close to the lamp so there was hardly and space between the car and the post.

"That was evil," Jakes said. "We should go hide in our car before anyone sees this." Paige snapped a couple pictures, and then they both headed into the car, giggling like five year olds. Twenty minutes later, Charlie and Briggs emerged from the building. When they saw the duct tapped car, they burst out laughing, tears streaming down their faces.

"Damn," Charlie said, wheezing for breath. "That was evil."

"That'll teach them to mess with the Graceland bunch," Briggs chuckled. "You two… I don't even know what to say."

"No one talks to Charlie like that. Ever," Paige stated.

"We'll always be there to take care of the bullies," Jakes added.

Charlie couldn't respond because she was laughing so hard.

**A/N: I don't really know how this chapter even happened, but it happened. Reviews are always appreciated. You guys are the best **


	14. 29 weeks part 2

29 Weeks Part 2:

"Mike, Mike! You'll never guess what I did today!" Paige exclaimed when Mike finally returned home later that day.

"You look extremely devious, should I be concerned?" Mike half joked.

"No words could amount to what I did, but luckily I have pictures," Paige smirked, whipping out her phone and opening her photo stream. Cringing, Mike looked at her most recent picture.

"You didn't," Mike gasped. He couldn't believe Paige had vandalized a car.

"Before you freak out, let me explain the story. Jakes and I took Charlie and Briggs to the FBI, and we ran into some bitch who basically _harassed _Charlie and she was all like 'I bet you don't even know who the father is' and Briggs looked like he was going to kill her and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down! Who the hell said that?"

"Agent Penny Headley. Charlie's mentioned her a few times in the past for being annoying. When she said those words to Charlie, I might have said some choice words in return…"

"Paige," Mike sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" Paige looked down in shame- she didn't think that Mike would be disappointed!

"I could kiss you right now," he said. Paige's head snapped up in surprise. Mike had led her on with his disappointed tone. "I'm so proud of you for sticking up for Charlie. You're the best." Mike left a trail of kisses from her neck to her jaw to her lips.

"There's the Mike I know and love," Paige laughed.

"Oh, you love me?"

"Shut up, you know I do."

"I love you, too," Mike grinned, kissing her again. When he pulled away, his face hardened. "Agent Headley deserves to be fired."

"If we're playing by that logic, Jakes and I should probably be fired as well…"

"You're actions were justified. Headley shouldn't have said those things to Charlie! Who does that?"

"You have more authority than she does. Maybe you should suggest that she gets fired?"

"I don't think it works that way. Also, Penny's probably not an idiot- she'll figure out it was you and Jakes who did this. I guess we can worry about that later because I'm just so _proud _of you right now."

"Thanks. I know you would've defended Charlie, too."

Mike was about to respond when his phone dinged and alerted him that he had a text.

"Hey, I just got a text from Briggs. He said they found Sid hiding in Utah of all goddamn places and they finally threw him in jail! I can finally resume my normal amount of casework!"

Even though Mike had been allowed on some cases, the FBI restricted him from working on anything major. They didn't want Sid to know Mike's location for his protection.

"That's amazing!" Paige squealed in happiness, tackling Mike in a hug. They collapsed onto the floor, laughing hysterically.

"This is amazing news."

Soon, they heard other shouts from around the house.

"I guess the others received the text as well," Paige grinned, breathless from her spell of laughter. Suddenly, they heard a rapt knocking on the door.

"Johnny?" Paige guessed. "Come in!"

Johnny threw open the door and leapt inside.

"This is awesome. With Sid gone, it's like a huge weight off the shoulders. I know that this is big for you, Mike. You can finally move around without having to tiptoe everywhere!" Johnny exclaimed.

Mike agreed. Now that Sid was taken care of, Mike wanted to have a more serious relationship with Paige. No longer will he have to worry if he's putting her in danger of Sid.

When Johnny left, Paige turned to Mike, "Do you want to go on a celebratory walk on the beach with me? We won't have to worry about trying to cover up your face anymore!"

"Of course."

Hand in hand, Paige and Mike walked onto the beach. They walked for about 30 minutes before turning around. Just as they were about to leave the beach, Paige stopped dead in her tracks.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered. The urgency in her tone sent Mike into a panic, and he protectively pulled Paige closer to his side. "Relax, Mike. I was talking about the whimpering- it sounds like a dog, not an axe murderer."

"I wasn't worried," Mike grumbled.

"Do you hear it though?" Mike paused for a minute to listen, and he had to admit that he could hear distinct whining noises.

"Yeah, I hear it."

"We have to help it!"

"Where is the noise coming from?"

After a couple minutes of searching, Paige found a tiny puppy yelping helplessly. Its foot was stuck in the wire fence.

"That is the cutest thing I have ever seen!" Paige gasped. The puppy had golden hair, chocolate eyes, and a small black nose. It looked like a combination of several different types of dogs, so Paige assumed it was a mutt.

"Here you go, little guy," Paige said, freeing the puppy from the gate and scooping it up. "Oh no! His leg is bleeding. We have to bring this puppy back to Graceland."

"Do you think Charlie would be okay with it? I mean, she's about to have her baby soon, and what if this dog isn't friendly?"

"You're a friendly doggie, aren't you? See look! He likes me!" Paige giggled as the puppy licked her face. "Plus, Briggs is Buddhist, so he would want to help a suffering dog. Pleeease Mike, let me keep him!"

"How can I say no to that face?"

"You've never been able to before!"

"Oh, awkward, I wasn't talking about _your _face, I was talking about the dog's face," Mike teased, kissing Paige quickly to show that he was kidding.

"Let's get this guy home soon so we can clean him up. Hopefully his leg will be okay."

On the way back to the house, Mike and Paige decided to brainstorm names.

"Sting," Paige suggested.

"What the hell kind of name is that?"

"I have a Sting song stuck in my head. It was the first thing that came to mind!"

"It's kind of cool… I kind of like it. Sting. We can come back to that one."

"Colonel?"

"Ha, that would be funny. Sting or Colonel? I don't know. Say another name."

"Mickey. Snoopy. Winston. Indiana Bones?"

"Indiana Bones? _Really_?"

"Harry. Hammer. Hurley."

"Stop, stop! That's too many names to process. We should all take a vote when we get back to Graceland. Did you write all those names down?" Mike asked.

"Yup, I entered them into my phone."

"Some of those were champion names."

When the two got back to the house, it took minimal convincing of the other Graceland members to let them keep the dog. They immediately fell in love with the mutt. Briggs was horrified when he saw the puppy's injury, and he took action to clean up its leg and patch it up. After the puppy had received a bath, everyone gathered in the living room.

"The possible names that I came up with were: Sting, Colonel, Mickey, Snoopy, Winston, Indiana Bones, Harry, Hammer and Hurley. Does anyone have any other suggestions?" Paige asked authoritatively.

"Pepe," Johnny suggested.

"Baggins?"

"Ripley."

"Any more?" Paige wondered. No one spoke, so she continued, "Each person one vote. I'll call the names out, and you can vote on which name you like. We'll do this until we have picked a final name. Let's begin, shall we?"

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! I decided I will let all of YOU decide what they should name the puppy! From the names that I listed, you guys can either comment or PM me your choice of name and I will go with the name that gets the most votes!**


	15. 32 weeks

32 Weeks:

"Ripley, sit," Mike commanded forcefully to the little puppy. "Stay."

Ripley didn't seem to hear Mike. Instead, he was widely interested in a pen that someone had dropped on the carpet.

"No, Ripley! You can't eat that!" Mike exclaimed, grabbing the pen from the puppy's mouth. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't want to do that, but if you eat that you might get sick. If you listen to me, you can get a nice treat. Sit!"

Ripley wouldn't sit, so Mike decided to help him out. He gently tried to force his backside onto the ground, but Ripley still didn't get the idea.

"Alright, let's try something else. Stay!" Mike said, slowly backing up. Ripley followed him and tried to lick his ankles. Mike chuckled and scooped the puppy up. "You aren't the brightest bulb in the pack."

Paige walked into the kitchen to see her boyfriend cuddling with Ripley, so naturally she decided to take a picture.

"Hey! Not fair!" Mike shouted once he noticed that Paige had blindsided him with a sneak picture.

"Sorry, it's your fault for being too cute!"

"I am _not _cute. Ripley's the cute one."

"You're both cute."

Paige spotted the treats on the counter. "Hey, how many treats did you feed Ripley?"

"Only one. Maybe two."

"Mike…"

"Several?"

"Why?"

"I was _trying _to teach Ripley some tricks, but he I don't think he's ready for it. I think I'll try again in a few months." Mike laughed as Ripley licked his nose. "I've always wanted a dog, but my mom was allergic so we never got one."

"You've never had a dog? We used to have the most annoying beagle, and then we had a golden retriever, and then a border collie. We had a lab, but it got hit by a car. I think we had a corgi at some point? We definitely had an Australian shepherd," Paige recalled.

"Damn, Paige. You could've run a dog shelter with all those dogs!"

"Yeah, well, I love dogs."

"I have an idea. Charlie and Briggs went to go see the doctor to check her fluid levels or something, Johnny and Jakes are at lunch, and we have one adorable puppy and an abandoned baby stroller lying around. Can we please take Ripley for a walk in the baby stroller pleeeease?" Mike begged.

"No because a) Charlie would kill us, b) Charlie would kill us, and c) Charlie would murder us."

"Ripley can't go on walks because of his leg, and he doesn't get to see the outside that much. Please let me take him outside in the baby stroller so he can experience California."

"Maybe…"

"This can be practice for us with Charlie and Briggs' baby!"

"Their baby is not _our _baby- we don't need any practice. To be honest, babies kind of freak me out," Paige admitted.

"Babies freak the fearless Paige Arkin out?"

"Party girls and babies do not mix well. I'm not very responsible. I wouldn't want to taint an innocent baby." Paige couldn't help but feel like the conversation wasn't about Charlie and Briggs' baby anymore, but a hypothetical baby that hasn't even been made yet…

"Good thing this isn't your baby then. Not your responsibility," Mike said coldly.

"But I want to be there for the baby, you know? I love it and I would love it if the kid loved me back one day. I'm afraid to try, though," Paige shrugged, looking at the ground.

"Paige you will be an excellent mo- I mean aunt. Carina will love you. You'll be the fun aunt!" Mike couldn't tell if he was talking about Carina anymore, or about the idea of a baby that he and Paige could have one day.

"Yeah, but what is the fun aunt good for? What if I set a bad example and the kid gets hurt?"

"Hey, let's not worry about it right now, okay? I'll be there to help you… Damn it, it sounds like _we _are the ones having this baby," Mike joked, but idea of him and Paige creating new life didn't sound that bad at all. "Charlie and Briggs will do a great job raising _their _baby, and we shouldn't be so invested in it right now. Carina hasn't even been born yet."

"You're right. Let's go take Ripley on a walk. We can use the stroller," Paige consented. Mike cheered and raised Ripley's left paw in a fist pump.

Quickly, Mike grabbed the stroller and placed Ripley in it. The two (or three if you count Ripley) walked out of the house and headed for the boardwalk. Once they arrived, some middle-aged woman approached them.

"Ooo, is your baby in there?" the woman cooed.

"Well, um, actually-" Before Mike could finish his warning, the lady peered into the stroller. She pulled back when a lively puppy jumped in her face.

"Oh, dear!" she exclaimed, clutching her heart. She cast two disapproving glances at Paige and Mike before walking away.

"That was really weird," Paige commented.

"Who does she think she is?" Mike shook his head. Ripley started barking at a little girl clutching a plush unicorn. Mike turned around to see her staring intently at Ripley.

"Why is your dog in a stroller?" the little girl asked. "My baby brother has a stroller. My mommy said I used to have a stroller."

"My dog hurt his leg. Where is your, uh, mommy?" Mike wondered.

"I don't know," the girl said casually. "I'm Kate."

"Kate, are you lost?"

"I don't think so. I was with my mommy, but when I saw your dog I came over here. What's her name?"

"It's a boy, actually. His name is Ripley."

Paige didn't say a word. She stood still, awkwardly smiling at Kate.

"Is that your mommy?" Mike asked, pointing so a woman who was frantically scanning the boardwalk. Kate looked over to where Mike was pointing and nodded.

"Thanks for finding her. I should probably get back before she gets scared. I hope Ripley gets better," Kate said before skipping back to her mom.

"Wow, handsome, a good singer, _and _good with kids? Oh, and a kickass FBI agent? What did I do right?" Paige teased, kissing Mike.

"I told you, I really love kids. Kate was adorable," Mike grinned.

"With the unicorn and the black hair, she reminded me of Agnes from Despicable Me."

"From what?"

"Do not tell me that you haven't heard of Despicable Me. I live with a bunch of _idiots _who never watch movies! First, Charlie didn't know what Frozen was. Johnny had never heard of Forest Gump, and Jakes had never seen any of the Harry Potters. You know I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, but come on!"

"WHAT? He's never seen Harry Potter? Harry Potter is amazing!"

"I was more surprised that Johnny had never heard of Forest Gump! Briggs had never seen Pirates of the Caribbean-"

"What?!"

"Jakes didn't know what Rocky was-"

"Stop! This is too painful. We have to movie educate our friends."

"Starting with Despicable Me," Paige said slyly. "How have you not heard about Despicable Me?"

"Fine, fine," Mike surrendered. Ripley started barking at people who passed by eating hot dogs. "I think Ripley wants a hot dog."

"I could go for a hot dog, too. That doesn't sound bad," Paige agreed. They ordered three hot dogs- one for Mike, one for Paige, and one for Ripley. Ripley devoured his in under a minute.

"Aw, the poor guy was hungry," Paige observed. "Shit- he got hair and crumbs all over the stroller. We need to get home soon to clean it off! What if Charlie notices? We'll be in trouble!"

"You're only in trouble if you get caught, and if we hurry, we won't be in trouble. If we leave now, we'll have plenty of time."

On the way back, the hot dog decided not to agree with Ripley's stomach, and he threw up all over the stroller. He got scared of the throw up, so then he peed a _lot_. If that wasn't bad enough, he went crazy and started chewing up the stroller before Mike could pull him out of there.

"Oh," Paige breathed.

"My," Mike added.

"God."

"Shit."

"Well… Definitely shit."

"The stroller is ruined. Do you remember where they bought this one?"

"I don't know! Um… Shit, shit, shit."

"I think I remember! Right before Charlie bought this stroller she was complaining about the high prices at this fancy baby store next to that clothing store and the tea and spices store downtown. If what I'm thinking is where she went, it's across from the coffee place and the Target? Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes! Yes! I bet you're right! Let's go now, so we can get back before Charlie and have time to dispose of the ruined stroller."

Mike raced to the baby store. He showed the lady working there a picture of the stroller.

"You're in luck! We have one left!" she said. "I'll go get it from the back." Mike and Paige hugged each other in relief.

"Thank God!" Paige said, closer to tears than she had been in a long time. "Charlie would've have killed us."

"Charlie would have killed you _why_?" said a voice from behind them. Mike and Paige spun around, only to find themselves face to face with an irate Charlie. "What have you done?"

"Shit," Mike and Paige said in unison.

"Long story-" Paige started.

"You'll laugh-"

"Nothing to worry about-"

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Briggs and I came here to get a Play Yard or whatever they're called for the baby because I'm _pregnant _and so it makes _sense _that I am at this type of store. The doctor's appointment went by extremely quickly, and my fluid levels were high enough. Why are _you _here, and why would _I _kill _you_?" Charlie demanded slowly. Mike and Paige cowered. Briggs had apparently noticed the small commotion.

"Hey, guys?" he said unsurely. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Paige said quickly.

"We should tell them the truth," Mike improvised. "It was supposed to be a surprise…"

"What?" Paige snapped.

"We came here to buy a hot pink baby carrier for you and Briggs. It was going to be a joke. That's why you would have killed us," Mike lied; his façade did not falter once.

"Really?" Charlie pressed, narrowing her eyes. She did not believe one word of it.

"Here's your stroller!" the lady exclaimed, carrying the stroller over to Mike and Paige. They tried to send her a mental message to hide the stroller, but it was too late.

"Whoa, where did that come from?" Mike tried to play dumb.

"What happened to the first stroller?" Charlie screeched, causing Mike to flinch.

"It wasn't my fault. Ripley-"

"Ripley couldn't do it all by himself! Did you put that dog in the stroller? What if my baby was allergic to dogs, Mike?" Charlie shouted. Several people glanced warily in their direction.

"Charlie, you're causing a scene. Let's go outside," Paige hoaxed.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Charlie insisted. "That damn stroller was expensive. I can't believe you two wasted a good stroller."

Mike looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He didn't know what method he should use: fight or flight. He chose the latter.

"Alright, well I'm going to pay for this stroller. If you want, I can get your Play Yard thing? You and Briggs should go back to Graceland so you can cool down and forgive us, and we'll see you later, okay?" Mike said convincingly. Charlie contemplated his offer for a moment.

"Fine. I'll see you later," Charlie growled. She started walking back to the car.

"Sorry, guys. She's been pretty hormonal- she'll get over this. I get kicked out of our bedroom about three nights every week. Just don't mess with any of the baby stuff again," Briggs admonished before chasing after Charlie.

"That was terrifying."

"I think we just witnessed Mama Bear Charlie and survived."

The woman who had assisted Mike and Paige looked quite confused.

**A/N: The puppy got a name! Thanks for everyone's votes, but the clear winner was Ripley. I will try to upload another chapter tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, or favorites this story **


	16. 34 weeks

34 Weeks:

"Hey, Mikey Mike! What's up?" Briggs yawned.

"I'm up at this ungodly because I have to go to work early. Why in the hell are you awake?" Mike asked.

"It's nothing," Briggs tried to deny.

"Something's bothering you," Mike pried.

"I told you, it's _nothing_."

"Paul Briggs does not get worked up over nothing."

"Fine, I was worrying about Charlie and the baby. I just don't think I'm going to be a good dad, you know?" Briggs admitted.

"Bullshit. You're going to be a great dad!"

"I've just messed up so many times. What if I mess up my own kid? What if she doesn't love or trust me?"

"I didn't trust who you were, but I _do _trust who you've become. There was a time when I would have put a bullet in you, but now I'd take a bullet for you. You've changed a lot, Briggs."

"I don't want to disappoint Charlie or Carina. I don't deserve Charlie- I've lied to her and hurt her so many goddamn times." Mike was surprised to see Briggs acting so vulnerable.

"Charlie deserves happiness, and _you _make her happy."

"I just don't want to be a horrible father. My dad left, so I don't have any example to follow."

"Hey, everyone at Graceland will be here to help you. Even if you didn't have a father, you'll be able to figure out how to raise a baby. You love your kid, and that's all a baby needs. I know you'd do anything for Charlie or Carina."

"I don't know if I believe in myself. I don't know how I'm going to do this."

"Hey! _I _believe in you. Charlie believes in you. Hell, all of _Graceland _believes in you. You can and you will do this, Briggs," Mike said confidently. Briggs grinned.

"Thanks, Mike. I'm just… What if something happens to me and I leave Charlie alone? Or what if something happens to Charlie?"

"Don't worry about the 'what ifs.' What if an elephant fell from the sky and crushed Graceland?"

"I don't think an elephant is going to fall from the sky," Briggs said dubiously.

"I don't think you or Charlie will get hurt," Mike retorted. "Just don't forget this: if you ever screw up, I'll be right here to put you back in your place."

"I don't doubt that you will," Briggs chuckled. "Hopefully I never give you a reason where you would need to."

"Me neither… I'm going to go now. This conversation is getting a little to unmanly," Mike joked. "I have to go check in, but I'll catch you later."

"Bye, Mike!" Briggs called after him.

A little while later, Charlie was in a similar mode of panic.

"Paige," Charlie shouted, knocking on Paige's door.

"Humph," a sleepy groan replied.

"Can I come in?"

"It's the middle of the night."

"It's seven o'clock in the morning. Let me in."

There was a short pause before Paige muttered, "Enter."

Charlie slowly opened the door.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Charlie asked, a hand on her protruding stomach. She sat down on Paige's bed. When Paige saw Charlie's red-rimmed eyes, she began to freak out.

"Are you okay?" Paige wondered, visibly concerned.

"No," Charlie sniffled. She dabbed her eyes with part of her shirt.

"What's up?"

"What if I can't do this? _How _am I going to do this? I don't know how to be a mother," Charlie cried. "I mean, I'm really happy about Carina and I wouldn't trade her for the world, but what if I fail her? I never in a million years pictured myself being a mom."

"Hey, Charlie. C'mere," Paige said softly, embracing her distraught friend. "You're going to be a wonderful mom. I've never doubted that."

"I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't prepared enough for Carina to be born yet," Charlie said worriedly.

"You still have well over a month."

"A month is nothing. All the time in the world couldn't prepare me." Tears began to pour out of her eyes.

"Hey, whoa. Don't cry, Charlie! Let's get some ice cream, okay? Ice cream makes everything better," Paige smiled.

"I don't want ice cream."

_Uh oh, _Paige thought._ If Charlie's refusing ice cream, then something must be seriously wrong._

"What is troubling you most?"

"What if Carina hates me?

"Who stayed up the whole night with me when I had the flu? Who carried an unconscious Johnny all the way back to Graceland? Who feeds us so we don't starve to death? Who is strong both mentally _and _physically? Who has the strongest heart of anyone I've ever met?"

"Paige…"

"Charlie, listen. You're already a mother to five adult-children. A baby is going to be easy compared to us."

"What if I let Carina down?"

Paige was rooted to her spot. How could she convince Charlie not to stress out about this?

"First of all, you aren't going to let her down. All you have to do is be there and love her. Second of all, you aren't raising her alone. You have Briggs who loves you and Carina more than anything in this universe. You have me, Mike, Jakes, and Johnny- we'll always be there for you. It takes a village to raise a baby."

"Thanks, Paige. I needed to hear that." Charlie leaned in and hugged her friend.

"No problem. Do you feel better?"

Charlie nodded. "I think I want that ice cream now."

Paige grinned in relief.

"Good. If you ever have anxiety about Carina again, I'll always be here to help you. We women need to stick up for each other," Paige grinned. Charlie nodded gratefully.

"Thanks Paige. You'll be Carina's favorite aunt."

"I'll be her _only _aunt."

"Take it or leave it."

Paige laughed as they went downstairs to get some ice cream.

**A/N: So I wrote this chapter and was about to publish it and then my computer shut down and erased everything so you know… I wanted to smash my computer on the wall. I tried to rewrite it, but unfortunately, it is probably not as good as the first version. STUPID COMPUTER AHHHHH **


	17. 37 weeks

37 Weeks:

"Whoa, Charlie, where do you think you're going?" Johnny asked as Charlie grabbed her bag and started to follow him, Mike, and Briggs out of the house.

"I _think _that I'm going to the beach with you," Charlie replied. Johnny grabbed her shoulders to stop her in her tracks. "Johnny, get off me."

"You're, like, _super _pregnant. You can't go to the beach!" Johnny warned.

"I still have three weeks, Johnny. I can go to the beach," Charlie said, rolling her eyes. Johnny looked at Briggs for approval. Unfortunately Charlie noticed the exchange.

"Asshole! Briggs does not decide what I do, _I _decide what _I _do. I saw you look at him," Charlie fumed. Johnny raised his arms in surrender.

"Okay, just take it easy Charlie. Don't sneeze too hard and go into labor or something," Johnny sighed. Charlie retaliated by whacking him on his shoulder.

"Oh no, if I hit you too hard, will I go into labor?" Charlie mocked. Briggs laughed and opened the door.

"Let's head out," Briggs said. Mike, Briggs, and Johnny carried surfboards, and Charlie brought a chair, a book, and music.

"I can carry that for you," Briggs offered, shifting his surfboard so he could carry Charlie's stuff.

"Normally I'd say no, but it's hard to carry stuff with this stomach," Charlie said. She kissed him on the cheek as she handed him her bag and chair. "Thanks."

"Have fun, Chuck," Briggs said, returning the kiss. "Catch ya later."

"Bye, Charlie," Mike and Johnny echoed. As she waved goodbye, Charlie noticed a shooting pain in her back.

"Agghhh," Charlie whimpered, clutching her back and stomach. She checked to make sure the boys hadn't seen anything before setting up her chair. "You must've kicked me pretty hard there, Carina."

Except deep down, Charlie knew that the pain wasn't just Carina kicking.

A few minutes later, Mike came running back from the water.

"Charlie! Please tell me you brought sunscreen. I remembered that I forgot to put some on. Johnny said my nose looks red, does my nose look red? Please tell me that my nose isn't read!" Mike exclaimed frantically.

"Johnny was just messing with you, your nose isn't red. I have some sunscreen-" Another wave of pain hit Charlie, causing her to bend over in agony. "AGHH!"

"Charlie!" Mike shouted. He ran up to her unsure of what to do. "You're going into labor!"

After a few seconds, Charlie was able to speak again. "I'm not. Carina just kicked me really hard, but I'm definitely _not _going into labor."

Mike looked suspicious, "Maybe I should stay with you just in case you are in labor?"

"No, no! Go have fun!" Charlie said with a grimace.

"Well, I have to put on the sunscreen and let it sink in anyway…"

"Eh, whatever," Charlie shrugged. Mike eyed her doubtfully. "Mike! I'm not going into labor! Just let it go." Charlie was hoping when she uttered the words 'let it go,' Mike would get distracted by Frozen. Sadly, her trick didn't work.

"I know what you're doing," Mike said, completely aware that Charlie was trying to distract him. "Charlie, please tell me what's going on!"

"I don't know what you want me to say! There's nothing to tell!" Charlie shouted. Another contraction hit her, and she clutched her stomach in pain.

"Dammit, Charlie! You're going into labor!" Mike yelled, tugging at his hair.

"Mike, I think I would know if I was going into labor," Charlie said through gritted teeth. "This is nothing."

"Charlie…" Mike groaned. "Do you want to give birth on the beach?"

"No, but I'm not _going _to give birth on the beach."

"You will if you won't let us take you to the hospital!"

"Mike, I'm not going into goddamn labor!" Charlie screamed.

"I'm going to get Briggs," Mike said, running away. Charlie tried to chase after him, but another contraction left her paralyzed.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Charlie called out eventually, but it was too late. Mike sprinted up the beach to where Briggs and Johnny were surfing.

"CHARLIE IS IN LABOR! PAUL BRIGGS GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE WATER BECAUSE YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH!" Mike shouted, waving his arms frantically. Briggs could barely hear what Mike was saying, but he could tell that he wanted him to go to the shore.

"What's up, Mike?" Briggs asked.

"Charlie has gone into labor!" Mike said when Briggs was within earshot. Briggs dropped his surfboard and ran back to Charlie. A look of awe and fear hit his face.

"Charlie, we have to get to the hospital!" Briggs exclaimed. "This is really happening!"

"No! Nothing is happening!" Charlie said, rolling her eyes.

"Mike said that you had gone into labor?"

"You know Mike, he freaks out at everything. I think it was just a Braxton- SHIT! AGHHHH!" Charlie wailed, grabbing her stomach. Briggs placed his hands over hers, looking panicked.

"Charlie, I think you are in labor. Even if you aren't, we need to go to the hospital to get you checked out," Briggs said.

"Carina just kicked me, I'm fine," Charlie panted. Tears leaked out of her eyes.

"Hey, Chuck, baby. We have to go to the hospital right now."

"No."

"Why? Please, Charlie. We have to go."

"I'm not- I'm not-" Charlie broke off into sobs.

"Tell me what's wrong," Briggs said gently. "Talk to me."

"I-I'm not ready," Charlie sniffled. "D-Don't make me g-go t-to the hospital."

"It'll be alright, my love," Briggs whispered. "Will you come with me? We'll go to the hospital _together_, and I won't leave your side for one second."

"N-no. P-Please don't t-take me," Charlie cried. Briggs cupped her face.

"Charlie, you are in labor. We have to go." As he said the words, another contraction hit.

"What is going to happen?" Charlie asked when the pain faded. "It's too early. Carina wasn't supposed to come for another three weeks."

"Charlie," Briggs started desperately. "I don't know what is going to happen five minutes from now; I don't know what is going to happen in five hours from now. Though I might not know what'll happen, we can't just sit here."

"I'm so scared."

"Hey, baby, I'm scared too. I've never been this scared in my life. But we can figure this out together, alright? You'll never be alone."

"You aren't supposed to be scared of anything. You are a fearless FBI agent who can look down the bullet of a gun without flinching, but a small baby terrifies you?"

"Yeah, well... We have to have this baby so I can be scared of it."

"Paul-"

"Charlie. Please. Let me take you to the hospital."

"You won't leave me for a second?"

"Not for a second," Briggs promised.

"Let's go have a baby," Charlie laughed.

"Let's go have _our _baby."

**A/N: AHH sorry to leave it there, but the baby is finally on the way! I'll try to update tomorrow but no promises! **


	18. 37 weeks part 2

37 Weeks:

"Mike!" Briggs shouted. "Go get Johnny! Dammit, there's no time! Leave Johnny. No, wait, dammit, just get Johnny. I'll get Charlie to the car. You can drive to the hospital. Hurry!"

Mike switched into FBI agent mode. His mission was to get Johnny and take Charlie to the hospital to have her baby. He sprinted up the beach and called out for his surfing friend.

"What's happening?" Johnny wondered, blissfully unaware of the fact that Charlie had gone into labor.

"Charlie's in labor, we have to go _now_!" Mike urged.

"I knew it! I had a feeling!" Johnny clapped. "Do you remember when I warned Charlie about going into labor this morning?"

"No-what? It doesn't matter, come _on_, Johnny! Move!" Mike shouted, urging his legs to go as fast as possible. The two boys made a mad dash for Graceland. They took the steps going up to the house two at a time and ran straight to the car port. Briggs flew past them carrying Charlie's bag.

"Go, go!" Briggs yelled, hopping in next to Charlie. "Mike, you're behind the wheel!"

Mike blocked out Charlie's screams, Briggs' words of encouragement, and Johnny's hysterical laughter and focused on driving safely.

_Shoot! _Mike thought. _I should call Paige. I wish Paige were here… Focus, Mike!_

"Almost there," Mike muttered, gripping the steering wheel. He signaled left and pulled into the hospital. "Briggs and Johnny, take Charlie inside. I'll go park. Dammit, why don't they have valet!?"

Briggs and Johnny did not waste any time getting Charlie out of the car and into the hospital. Mike found the closest parking spot available and ran inside. Johnny was waiting for him in the lobby.

"Follow me! We can wait with Charlie until she's ready to give birth," Johnny explained. The two made their way through the hospital.

"Charlie, how are you feeling?" Mike asked.

"DON'T!" Charlie screeched as a painful contraction hit.

"I'm going to call Paige," Mike said. He was legitimately afraid of labor-induced Charlie.

"This will all be over with soon, baby," Briggs whispered.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME, DAMMIT!" Charlie cried. "I WANT A GODDAMN EPIDURAL!"

"We'll get you set up," the nurse promised, readying the epidural. Mike went weak in his knees when he saw the size of the needle.

After the effects of the epidural kicked in, Charlie was a lot more pleasant.

"This isn't so bad," she commented. "I can do this."

"Why is this taking so long?" Johnny whined.

"I'm sorry that my labor is inconvenient for you. It's not like you're the one who's about to push a human baby out of your body, right?" Charlie said sarcastically.

"At least could you tell me how much longer until you're ready to push?"

"I can't predict the future! I know just as much as you do!"

"Hey Briggs, are you okay?" Johnny asked, prodding a vacant Briggs with his leg.

"Sorry, I was trying to be Zen. It isn't working."

"Paige said that she's on her way. Oh man, she's so excited," Mike informed everyone. "Jakes is with her."

"Good, the whole gang is almost here," Johnny observed.

Paige and Jakes made it over to the hospital in record time.

"We're here to see Charlie Demarco," Paige said urgently.

"Friends or family?" the man at the desk asked.

"Friends."

"Family."

The man eyed the two suspiciously.

"Which is it?" he wondered.

"Close friends, basically family."

The man typed in Charlie's name. "I don't think she's accepting visitors right now. Why don't you wait in the lobby?"

"I'm DEA, he's ICE. Our friends are FBI. Please let us through," Paige snapped.

"I wouldn't care if you were the president of the United States, I can't let you through. I'm sorry," the man shrugged.

"Ugh!" Paige groaned. She walked over to the waiting area and sat down on a lumpy chair. She called Mike.

"Hey!" Mike said through the phone.

"They won't let us see her," Paige explained.

"Shit! Oh, well. You aren't really missing anything. I think they're going to kick us out soon anyway. Charlie's probably going to have to start pushing soon. Do you want me to come to the lobby?"

"Yes, please!"

"Alright, I'll see you in a second. Love you!"

"I love you, too!" Paige said, hanging up the phone.

"Do you always have to say 'I love you' when you hang up?" Jakes scoffed.

"I'm sorry for expressing my love. God, everyone's a critic," Paige sighed.

Mike hurried down to the lobby with a sorry looking Johnny following close behind.

"Charlie kicked him out of the room," Mike said when they reached Paige and Jakes. "He was making her nervous with all of his weird questions and comments."

"Oh, Johnny," Jakes mumbled.

"Not my fault that Carina is taking her sweet ass time to get here."

"Let's just chill here," Paige said changing the subject. "It probably won't be too long before Carina is here."

"Good idea," Mike agreed.

An hour of reading magazines later, they (especially Johnny) began to grow restless.

"Does childbirth seriously take this long?" Johnny complained.

"I hear that," Jakes echoed.

"Let's go get some food in the cafeteria to pass the time, okay?" Paige suggested. None of them were hungry, but they attempted to eat anyway. When they got back to the waiting room, Paige fell asleep on Mike's lap.

"I hate this and want to die," Johnny said, bending backwards in his chair.

"Don't say that, especially in a goddamn hospital of all places," Jakes admonished.

"I'm just saying- Hey! It's Briggs!" Johnny shouted, standing up. Briggs ran up to his friends. None of them had ever seen Briggs looking so happy and awestruck in their lives.

"7 pounds and 3 ounces. Mother and baby are doing fine," Briggs explained in a rush. "She's beautiful. Everything's beautiful!" He ran his hands over his face.

"Can we see her?"

"In a little bit. Right now the nurses are cleaning up and moving Charlie to a different bed."

"How are you feeling, dad?" Johnny asked.

"I'm scared, confused, I have absolutely no clue what to do, but I've never been happier. I would not trade this for the world."

"Welcome to fatherhood," Jakes said, pulling Briggs into what they believed to be a manly hug.

"Congratulations!" Paige exclaimed, embracing Briggs in a bone crushing hug.

"Well done," Mike grinned.

"Thanks guys."

A little while later, everyone was finally allowed to go see Charlie and Carina. They noticed that Charlie looked extremely exhausted but overjoyed.

"Everyone meet Carina," Charlie said, motioning to the tiny lump resting on her chest.

"Awww!" Paige gasped. "She's so adorable!"

Carina had olive skin with dark hair, and her face was a perfect combination of her parents. She was fast asleep, her tiny mouth formed in a little 'O.'

"When she's awake you should see her eyes. They're absolutely stunning," Charlie said proudly.

"She's so cute and wrinkly!" Johnny said.

"Did you just call my baby wrinkly?" Briggs growled.

"In the best way possible!" Johnny backtracked.

"She's going to break hearts one day," Mike added.

"I can't wait to babysit her and take her to the beach and shopping and teach her basic self-defense-"

"Whoa, slow down. No self-defense until she's at least five!"

"What the hell? Five years old is way too young for self-defense!"

"You never know when you might need to defend yourself."

"Shh!" Charlie hushed. "You're going to wake her up!"

"I wonder what kind of ice cream she'll like. I can't wait to show her Harry Potter and Frozen," Mike commented. "And Captain America, but that will be later."

"I can't wait to teach her how to surf," Johnny beamed.

"She's so amazing. The first Graceland baby," Paige whispered in a hushed tone. "I already love her!"

"Can we hold her?" Jakes asked.

"Definitely later, but she's sleeping and she looks so fragile… I'm sorry I'm going all Mama Bear."

"Understood."

"It's getting pretty late, you guys. We should probably go home pretty soon," Mike yawned. "You'll be home tomorrow, right?"

"I think so. Either tomorrow or in two days."

"I'm going to stay here, but I'll see you guys later," Briggs said. They all bid their goodbyes before heading out.

"Babies are cool," Johnny said when they got back to Graceland.

"Babies are amazing," Paige agreed. After seeing Carina, she knew that she wanted one of her own someday, even if the concept of children terrified her.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Charlie and Briggs could not take their eyes off of Carina.

"You did good, Chuck. You did good," Briggs praised, holding her hand.

"I know," she laughed. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I can't believe that this is our life now."

"Even though it isn't the life I ever pictured for myself, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love being a mother. I'm sorry I freaked out so much earlier when I first went into labor."

"Hey, don't apologize! I was scared, too. You were so brave today."

"Thanks… I need to get some sleep- I'm so tired," Charlie said, kissing Briggs before handing Carina off to him.

"Night, Chuck," Briggs whispered.

"Night, Paul."

As Charlie fell asleep, Briggs kept a vigil over his two girls. He didn't know it was possible to love two people as much as he loved Charlie and his daughter.

**A/N: Baby Carina is here! Seeing as I have never given birth, I had to put together my limited knowledge of childbirth ranging from novels to other fics to movies and television. I apologize for any errors. Also, sorry that this update took so long! I had a major test that I was studying for **


	19. 1 Day Old

1 Day Old

"Mike!" Paige said, rousing Mike awake.

"Hmm," he grumbled.

"Mike! Wake up!"

"Are you hurt?" he asked. The sleep drained from his eyes when he thought Paige was in danger.

"No, I'm fine."

"Then I'm going back to bed."

"Mike! Dammit!" Paige groaned, returning to her shaking and prodding.

"I'm up, I'm up. What is it?"

"Charlie and Briggs are going to be home in an hour with Carina, and Briggs said that they haven't eaten breakfast yet. We should go make something!"

"You can't cook."

"You can make something, and I'll supervise. Please, Mike? It's a nice gesture. They're probably exhausted."

"Fine, but you have to make me coffee. At least you can't mess that up."

"Hey, you underappreciate me! I'm not _that _bad at kitchen related things!" Paige defended. She grabbed a pillow and whacked Mike on the head.

"That was mean," he pouted. In retaliation, he straddled Paige and pinned her downwards.

"No, Mike! We have to go downstairs. This is exactly what happened to Charlie's baby shower. Fool me once shame on you, but fool me twice shame on me."

"Fool me thrice and that's strike three!"

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Neither does getting up at this insane hour."

"You're ridiculous. Remind me why I love you?"

"Because I'm devilishly handsome, smart, and funny. You'd be lost without me, you'd be starving without me, and you'd be sad without me… We understand each other. You can't deny true love, Paige," Mike teased.

"You're so full of it."

"I know," Mike grinned. "I guess we should get up if you still want to make breakfast for the new parents."

"Thank you!"

Mike gathered the ingredients to make eggs, waffles with caramelized bananas, fruit salad, and a smoothie. Paige started preparing the coffee.

"Don't mess up the coffee!" Mike joked.

"When will you have some faith in me?" Paige cried. As it turns out, Mike wasn't entirely wrong in his judgment. An hour later when all the food was laid out on nice plates ready for Charlie and Briggs, Paige noticed something burning.

"Mike, do you smell that?" she wondered.

"Smell what?"

"I think there's a fire!" Paige panicked. "Get the fire extinguisher!"

Paige sprinted from the living room to the kitchen to discover that the coffee maker had burst into flames.

"Shit! I forget to turn that off!" Paige groaned. "MIKE HURRY UP!"

Unluckily, Charlie and Briggs chose that moment to enter Graceland.

"Welcome to your home, Carina!" Briggs exclaimed before he noticed the dire situation. "What the hell?"

"You mean 'what the heck.' No swearing around the baby," Charlie scolded.

"Let's worry about that later, Chuck! There's a fire!" Briggs shouted. "Go into the living room with Carina!"

"MIKE! WHERE ARE YOU?" Paige screamed. Briggs noticed her standing in the kitchen for the first time.

"What happened?" Briggs yelled, running toward her. "Never mind, explain later. Get some water from the sink!"

Mike ran downstairs with the fire extinguisher. Ripley barked loudly at the flames.

"HELP US LORD!" he shouted, dousing the fire, Paige, and Briggs in the fire extinguisher chemicals. They did not look amused.

"The fire's out!" Mike attempted to be positive.

"You can't even be normal for a day. We're bringing a _baby _home, and this is what you do to the house?" Charlie demanded, returning from the living room with baby Carina in her arms.

"I am so sorry, Charlie. It's all my fault," Paige admitted. "I left the coffee pot on and it overheated."

"Please never try to cook again," Charlie begged. "Not even coffee."

"I swear I won't. I learned my lesson."

"Can someone please get that dog to shut up?"

"I'll take Ripley outside!" Mike volunteered, eager to escape the wrath of Charlie, Briggs, or Paige.

"Paige, I think that we both need to wash off. These chemicals are probably poisonous," Briggs said angrily. "All I wanted to do was come home and have a nice morning…"

"I need a shower, too. I'll watch Carina while you're in and then we can switch," Charlie said.

"After you shower, let's get some pictures of Carina's first day home," Briggs suggested.

"I'll tell Mike to go look for the camera."

"I don't know what I expected," Charlie laughed. "Graceland is never going to be a normal home, is it?"

"Nope, it's better," Paige grinned. "Oh! Before I forget- Mike made you breakfast! That's why I was in charge of the coffee and the kitchen almost went up in flames from hell-"

"Heck," Charlie corrected.

"Charlie, 'hell' isn't a bad word. It's a place," Paige sighed.

"Don't say it around Carina," Charlie said menacingly.

"Anyway, after you two clean up, breakfast is already made!"

Even though the morning was hectic albeit forgettable, Charlie and Briggs took many pictures of a giggling Carina, an apologetic Paige and Mike, and a slightly burned kitchen. Jakes set up the self-timer mode, and they took a group picture with Carina front and center. Charlie swore she'd never be a scrapbooking type of person, but where else would she put all the quality photos that they took?

**A/N: Sorry that I have not been updating every night! My week last week was INSANE, but I'll try to go back to updating every day.**


	20. 1 Month Old

1 Month Old

"Hey, Mike! This pig looks exactly like you!" Johnny exclaimed, waving the pig finger puppet in Mike's face. Mike swatted his hand away.

"My Elsa is way better than your pig," Mike scoffed.

"Mike, why _did _you choose to make Elsa? She won't fit into the theme of animals," Paige pointed out.

"Carina is only a month old, she won't notice the difference. I _wanted _to make Captain America, but _somebody_ hogged all the red felt," Mike accused, eyeing Briggs.

"I wanted to make a fox. Sue me," Briggs sighed.

"You all are acting so mature," Charlie said sarcastically. "I'm very impressed."

"If everyone would stop bickering for a minute, I could finish my masterpiece!" Jakes complained.

The six agents of Graceland plus Carina were all gathered in the living room, making finger puppets. Charlie had read online that finger puppets were a great way to help improve a baby's vision, so naturally she used her friends for free manual labor.

"I'm done, bitches!" Johnny shouted. He pointed to his pig proudly.

"Johnny, no swearing around the baby!" Charlie admonished.

"I mean: I'm done… biscuits?" Johnny tried.

"Biscuits?" Jakes laughed.

"I tried to think of a word that sounded like… the other word."

"Johnny. I don't know what to tell you, man. It appears as though my days of not taking you seriously are still in their prime."

"Are you two idiots almost done fighting?" Charlie grumbled.

"Done!" Paige shouted, placing her finger puppet on the table.

"That's very pretty, Paige. Is that a potato?" Briggs wondered.

"It's a dog! It does _not _look like a potato!" Paige said defensively.

"I see it now…" Briggs said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm done, too," Charlie said.

"Whoa, that's a boss tiger!" Johnny applauded. "Nice work, Charlie."

"Wait! Slow down! Everyone's done or almost done, but I still have a lot of work to do!" Mike said frantically. "Her hair is not cooperating!"

"Mike, baby, calm down," Paige said soothingly, rubbing her boyfriend's shoulders. "You're doing a great job."

Soon, everyone had finished, but Mike wasn't halfway done.

"Carina, look at the tiger that mommy made for you," Charlie cooed, waving the puppet in front of Carina's face.

"My pig is friends with the tiger," Johnny joined in, holding his puppet up next to the tiger. Carina's pale eyes followed it with a deep interest. "In real life, Tiger would probably eat Pig…"

"Here's the fox. Fox is friends with Pig and Tiger," Briggs said. He kissed his daughter on the head, causing her to giggle. Carina raised her chubby hand and tried to grab onto Briggs' necklace.

"Careful, baby." Briggs gently pried his necklace away from her little grip.

Jakes and Paige's puppets joined Tiger, Pig, and Fox, but Mike still hadn't finished. After 20 minutes of playing puppets with Carina, everyone (especially Carina) started to lose interest. They wandered off, but Mike stayed downstairs committed to his work.

"Hey, Chuck. You can leave Carina with me, and you can take a nap. I'm just gonna finish up this puppet and play with her for a little bit," Mike offered. Charlie thanked him and went upstairs.

"Mind if I join you?" Paige asked.

"I will always accept the company of a lovely lady," Mike grinned as he hot glued Elsa's dress onto her body. "When this cools off, Elsa will be complete."

"Carina is lucky to have such a good uncle that cares about her so much," Paige smiled. She curled into Mike's side.

"Thanks, Paige. I appreciate it," Mike replied. "You're pretty great, too."

"You know that's right," she said before leaning in to kiss him. Some of the hot glue spilled and burned Paige's legs.

"DAMMIT!"

"Paige-"

"I mean DARN IT!" Paige screamed. "That hurt so fu-"

"Don't you dare say it-"

"That hurt so flipping bad!"

"You sound like Kidz Bop trying to cover up bad words in a song," Mike observed. "I'll go get some ice to put on that."

While Mike was getting ice from the kitchen, Paige examined Mike's finger puppet. He had clearly put in a lot of effort to the Elsa. Paige beamed at how much Mike loved baby Carina.

"Here you go, Paige," Mike said, placing the ice over the burn mark. "I hope it feels better."

"Why don't you show Carina the puppet that you made her?" Paige suggested. Mike picked up the Elsa and walked over to Carina.

"Hi, Carina! Look at this puppet that I made you!" Mike announced. He waved Elsa around. "We haven't watched Frozen together yet, but we will soon. I know you'll love it."

"Sing the song, Mike," Paige called.

"Nah. Nope. No."

"Please, Mike?"

"_The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen…" _

With record speed, Paige pulled out her phone and started recording Mike singing 'Let It Go.' She would treasure this moment forever. Mike's singing completely captivated Carina. She watched him with a burning intensity that made Mike feel important.

"_The cold never bothered me anyway!" _Mike finished, taking a bow.

"Wow, fierce FBI agent singing 'Let It Go' to an infant. Definitely macho," Paige teased.

"You cannot say a word. You convinced me to sing the song."

"Please, you would've sung it anyway!"

"Just… maybe not mention this to everyone else?" Mike pleaded.

"I won't," Paige promised. She lied.

Within the next hour, that video had been sent by text, email, and uploaded onto everyone at Graceland's computers and phones. Paige asked them not to let Mike know that she had sent the video around. But, in true Graceland nature, Johnny couldn't last 30 minutes without humming 'Let It Go' every time Mike started to speak.

**A/N: Hello readers! Thank you so much for checking out my story. I've been having some writer's block so please review and send me prompts! It will help me write a million times faster **


	21. 4 Months Old

**4 Months:**

"Hey, Chuck! Can I pleeease take Carina to the pier?" Johnny begged. Charlie was preoccupied with buttoning the tiny buttons on Carina's onesie.

"Jeez, Johnny. Can you give me one second to dress my daughter?" Charlie growled. "She's so little. I don't know if that's a good idea for you to take her…"

"Do you trust me, Charlie?" Johnny asked seriously. Charlie rolled her eyes.

"You know I'd trust you with _my _life, but my _daughter's _life? Do you know anything about taking care of such a young baby?"

"I read Briggs' damn-"

"No swearing!"

"I read Briggs' _darn _books; I think I know what I'm doing."

"Reading about doing something and _actually _doing something are two very different things," Charlie said seriously.

"Please, Charlie?"

"Why do you want to take her so bad anyways? If you're trying to pick up girls-"

"I just want to show baby Carina a good time! She needs to experience California," Johnny convinced. He made sure to turn on his irresistible doggy pout.

"You only go to the pier, and if something goes wrong, you call me. If _anything _happens, you do not want to know what I will do to you. Are we clear?" Charlie threatened.

"Yes, ma'am. Look, Charlie, I know you're exhausted, baby. You should take a nap while I have Carina."

"What if something happens and I don't hear the phone ring?" Charlie worried.

"I'll call Briggs or anyone else if something happens, but nothing _will _happen so don't worry," Johnny beamed.

"Fine. You know where her stroller is," Charlie yawned. Johnny took Carina from her arms excitedly, making cute faces at the baby to make her laugh. "Put sunscreen on her face. Make sure she wears her hat."

"Gotcha. We'll be back in an hour or two."

After Johnny applied the special baby sunscreen to Carina and fastened her sun protective hat on top of her head, he retrieved the stroller and the pair was off.

"You're going to so help me score with some lucky lady," Johnny laughed. "I think Charlie must be really tired because normally she'd see straight through me if I said I just wanted you to experience California. I guess it's kind of true because you definitely need to take a trip to the pier, but you know… Oh my, God. I'm talking to a baby."

Carina just garbled baby nonsense in a response. She waved her chubby little fingers around in the air, clearly enjoying the nice day.

Before the two had even reached the heart of the pier, a young woman approached them.

"What an adorable baby!" the lady exclaimed.

"Thank you. She's my daughter," Johnny grinned. Carina began to cry. "Oh no, Carina!" He picked her up and rocked her gently.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make her cry!" the woman apologized, hurrying off.

"C'mon, Carina. She was pretty! Can you keep your tears in your eyeballs for Uncle Johnny?" he whispered in a gentle tone. Carina's furrowed brow and teary eyes subsided almost instantly. "Good baby!"

Just as Johnny placed her back in the stroller, she started wailing again.

"My little princess, what do you want?" Johnny asked desperately. "Do you miss your mommy?"

"Do you need some help?" asked a woman who approached Johnny and a screaming Carina.

"Nah, I got this under control. But thanks," Johnny grinned. A loud wail from Carina had him swallowing his words. "This child will not stop crying!"

"I don't have any kids of my own, but I helped out when my older sister had her first baby. I definitely learned a lot. I think your baby might be overstimulated," the woman said gently. Johnny couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face- this woman was beautiful.

"I'm sorry, overstimulated? From the pier?"

"She's so tiny, and this scene might be too busy for her delicate senses. Do you want me to help you find a quieter spot?" the woman asked.

"Only if you tell me your name."

"I'm Claire. And you are?"

"Johnny. Nice to meet you, Claire. Now what about that quiet spot?"

The two walked for a short while before finding a bench in the shade.

"This is perfect," Johnny grinned. He gently rocked Carina (but did NOT shake her- that was one of the first things that Briggs ever told Johnny and he would not mess this up), and her crying finally stopped for good.

"Aw, your baby is adorable," Claire smiled, tickling Carina's feet.

"Thank you. This is the first time we've gotten out of the house since…" Johnny trailed off, pretending to get emotional.

"Since?" Claire prompted.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to force our pity story on you, but we haven't been out of the house since Carina's mother died in a car crash," Johnny sniffled. He had never been so thankful of his FBI skills in his life.

"That's horrible!" Claire gasped. She embraced Johnny in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, I know we just met, but I figured you could use the comfort."

"No, it was nice. It was four months ago, and I think I'm finally starting to get better," Johnny grinned. All of a sudden, Briggs and Jakes walked past Johnny, Carina, and Claire.

_Shit! _Johnny thought. _Why is Briggs here? _

"Johnny?" Briggs asked, noticing his friend sitting on the bench. Carina started to cry when she heard her dad's voice, and she made hand motions signaling that she wanted him to hold her. "Carina!"

Briggs walked straight to the stroller and picked up his daughter.

"How's daddy's little princess?" he asked, kissing her on the nose, and immediately her whimpering stopped.

"Wait, I thought Johnny was Carina's dad!" Claire exclaimed in confusion.

"What? Why the hell would you think that?" Briggs asked. His accusatory tone was clearly directed at Johnny.

"You asshole! You lied to me about this precious sweetheart being _your _daughter! I bet her mother isn't even dead!" Claire shouted.

"I can assure you that I'm this child's true father, and Carina's mother is completely alive and well," Briggs said through gritted teeth.

Jakes found the whole exchanged hilarious. He was just laughing his ass off in the corner.

"What kind of sick person lies like that?" Claire grumbled, walking away as fast as possible.

"Johnny, man, I have no words," Jakes said, gasping for air. "That was the greatest moment of my life."

"You can just shut up," Johnny groaned. "I cannot believe that happened. Claire seemed genuinely interested."

"Yeah, in _Carina_. That girl was way out of your league," Jakes shrugged.

"That girl was not out of my league!" Johnny defended.

"Dude, you ain't even playing the same game as that woman."

"Johnny, Charlie will not be happy to hear about this," Briggs said seriously. Johnny's eyes widened.

"No! Don't tell Charlie about this! I will do anything!"

"You have to do my chores for the next two months, and I won't say a word," Briggs offered.

"Two months? _One _month," Johnny bargained.

"Two, or no deal. Take it or leave it."

"Fine, dammit. I hate you all," Johnny mumbled. Jakes and Briggs high-fived behind his back.

**A/N: Sorry it is taking me so long to update! I don't think it is possible for an update a day, but I'll try to update as soon as possible.** **Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please don't forget to send requests and prompts for future chapters. Btw, Lucia is not in this story. She's just not. **


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